BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Lists, stories, and features celebrating Black History Month.

The Laroche family shortly before departing on the 'Titanic.'

The Long-Lost Story of Joseph Laroche, the Only Black Man on the ‘Titanic’

There are few tales of the ‘Titanic’ left unexplored. Joseph Laroche’s story is one of them.

Elizabeth Freeman, the Formerly Enslaved Woman Who Successfully Sued for Her Freedom

The courts ruled that the newly passed Massachusetts Constitution guaranteed that Freeman was indeed a free woman.

George Washington Carver in his laboratory.

10 Black Inventors Who Changed the World

Get to know the brilliant African American innovators who brought you blood banks, personal computers, dry cleaning, and more.

A Freedom Rider getting kicked out of a bus depot, 1961.

11 Facts About the Freedom Riders

Hundreds of civil rights activists calling themselves Freedom Riders bravely held the nation accountable to its rules against segregation in 1961. Here are the facts you need to know.

The birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas influenced the timing of Black History Month.

7 Facts About Black History Month

We celebrate Black History Month every February to recognize the amazing impact African American people have had on our culture. Read on for more about this tradition's origins.

Why Was February Chosen to Celebrate Black History Month?

Since 1976, Black History Month has been celebrated in February—and it's because of two specific dates on the calendar.

14 Fascinating Facts About Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley was the American colonies’ first Black poet and second woman to publish a book of poems. Here are more facts about her.

Venus Williams at the 2023 ASB Women's Classic.

15 Amazing Facts About Venus Williams

Venus Williams took the sports world by storm when she first arrived on the international stage as a teenage tennis phenom. She hasn't slowed down since.

8 Things You Might Not Know About Tiger Woods

The legendary golfer once shot a classic Nike commercial that some assumed had to have been a special effect. (It wasn't.)

Hughes was often called "The People's Poet."

8 Fascinating Facts About Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was a poet, novelist, playwright, and reporter who helped define the Harlem Renaissance. Find out more about his life and work.

8 Facts About Ida B. Wells

To understand the power of journalism, look at the career of Ida B. Wells.

The media mogul born ‘Orpah’ Winfrey has made quite a name for herself over the years.

10 Incredible Facts About Oprah Winfrey

Since making her national TV debut with ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show,’ Oprah has become a global icon. Discover more fascinating facts about her life here.

Duke Ellington with members of his orchestra in New York, 1946.

9 Facts About Duke Ellington

Time to press play on “Take the ‘A’ Train” and find out how Edward Ellington became the Duke.

Zora Neale Hurston in a portrait by Carl Van Vechten.

10 Fascinating Facts About Zora Neale Hurston

Writer and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston’s literary legacy is a class apart. Here are some facts you might not have known about the author of “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”

11 Facts About LeBron James

LeBron James has been a basketball superstar for most of this century, but it was two football coaches who changed his life.

Elijah McCoy devised his first invention while working on the Michigan Central Railroad.

10 Little-Known Facts About Inventor Elijah McCoy

Elijah McCoy’s most famous creation, an automatic oil cup that lubricated steam engines on trains, may have spawned the phrase “the real McCoy.”

Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and Frances E.W. Harper.

10 Black Suffragists You Should Know

Some Black suffragists may not be as well known as their white counterparts in the movement, but they made an indelible impact on history.

8 Things You Might Not Know About Boxing Legend Jack Johnson

The prizefighter challenged racist attitudes in boxing at the turn of the 20th century both in and out of the ring.

13 Incredible Facts About Frederick Douglass

The list of Frederick Douglass's accomplishments is astonishing—respected orator, famous writer, abolitionist, civil rights leader, presidential consultant—even without considering that he was formerly enslaved.

From left: Bessie Coleman, Shirley Chisholm, Dr. Lonnie Johnson.

25 Unheralded Black American Pioneers and Trailblazers You Should Know

You may not have heard of these groundbreaking Black innovators and creators in fields from science to comics.

Jesse Owens (right) smokes competitors in the 200-meter sprint at the Berlin Summer Games, setting a new Olympic record.

12 Fascinating Facts About Jesse Owens

Owens’s triumph at the 1936 Summer Olympics defied racist ideology and inspired generations of athletes.

Maya Angelou celebrating her 82nd birthday

10 Facts About Maya Angelou

Dr. Maya Angelou’s verses are at the very heart of the American experience—yet she didn’t start out as a poet.

10 Fascinating Facts About W.E.B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois co-founded the NAACP—and was a victim of McCarthyism.

African American English derives from a historical past of contact between multiple language speakers. It varies across age, ethnicity, class, and gender. There is more than one AAE.

10 Things To Know About African American Language

African descendants in the U.S. have been speaking varieties of English, today known as African American Language (AAL), for many centuries. Here's what you should know.