Did you know that... African-American inventors designed the traffic light, the gas mask, and the first railroad telegraph system… An African-American doctor performed the first open-heart surgery... An African-American explorer reached the North Pole before Admiral Peary.... A gorgeous African-American entertainer won the French Legion of Honor for her bravery in World War II…. Excluded from the history books, overlooked in the classroom, and neglected in the media, African Americans have long been denied an accurate picture of their contributions to our nation from colonial days to the present. Now, after mining old documents, records, letters, family histories and government files, this authoritative resource book reveals over 450 “firsts” by African Americans--wonderful accomplishments achieved often despite poverty, discrimination, and racism. Leaders in government, entertainment, education, science and medicine, the law, military, and in the business world, African Americans have made their mark. Now with African-American Firsts, we can see how very high has been their reach and how very great their honors.
