Dr. Charles Drew
Dr. Charles Drew (June 3, 1904 – April 1, 1950) was a surgeon and was the pioneer responsible for blood banking. Born in Washington, D.C., Dr. Drew was a student athlete, and one of thirteen black students, who attended Amherst College, obtaining a BA (1926). After taking a biology course, he was inspired to pursue […]
Dr. Alfred O. Coffin
Dr. Alfred O. Coffin (May 14, 1961 – September 6, 1933) was a botanist and anthropologist and the first African American to earn a PhD in the Biological Sciences. Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, little is known of his upbringing. He received his BA (1885) from Fisk University, and MA (1888) and PhD in Biology (1889) […]
Dr. Patricia Era Bath
Dr. Patrica Bath (November 1942 – May 30, 2019) was an ophthalmologist, laser scientist, inventor, and humanitarian who is known for inventing a new device and technique for cataract surgery called the Laserphaco Probe. A Native of New York, she was encouraged by her parents at an early age to pursue education. While in high […]
Lewis Howard Latimer
Lewis Howard Latimer (September 4, 1848 – December 11, 1928) was a writer, poet, inventor and mechanical draftsman whose work contributed to the most popular inventions of his time. Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts to slaves that escaped from Virginia, he excelled in primary school while working under his father. His father was captured and defended […]
Dr. Roger Arliner Young
Dr. Roger Arliner Young (August 20, 1899 – November 9, 1964) was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in Zoology. Born in Clifton Forge, Virginia, she came from a poor family and still overcame racial and gender norms to excel. She was the only child to a father that was a coal […]
Dr. Harold Amos
Dr. Harold Amos (September 7, 1918 – February 26, 2003) was a microbiologist and molecular biologist who would become the first African-American chair of a department at the Harvard Medical School. His interest in science as a youth was, in part, inspired by Louis Pasteur. He obtained a full ride scholarship and completed his BS […]
Elijah McCoy
Elijah McCoy (May 2, 1844 – October 10, 1929) was an inventor of Canadian but of African American descent. His creation of the lubricating cup changed the efficiency of steam engines in the 19th century. Born in 1844 in Colchester, Ontario, he was one of 11 siblings of runaway slave parents who fled from Kentucky […]
Annie Jean Easley
Annie Jean Easley (April 23, 1933 – June 25, 2011) was an African American computer scientist from Birmingham, Alabama. Considering the nursing and pharmacy profession, Easley moved to New Orleans where she attended Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) for two years before moving back home. Eventually landing in Ohio, she found a job at the […]
Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes
Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes (September 11, 1890- July 25, 1980) was a mathematician, educator, and the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in Mathematics. Born and raised in Washington D.C, Haynes grew up in a well-educated and affluent family as the daughter of a dentist and schoolteacher. She obtained a BA (1914) in Mathematics […]
Frederick McKinley Jones
Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961) was born in Cincinnati on May 7, 1983, and was an African-american inventor responsible for revolutionizing portable refrigeration. Self-taught in mechanical and electrical engineering, he was known to assemble contraptions from early prototype snowmobiles to cars. After securing an engineering license, he served in WWI in an all African-American unit working […]