Nick Manos

Independent Historian

Nick Manos was born on July 5th 1983 in Seattle, Washington. Nick began his academic career at St. Joseph’s elementary and middle school which he would attend for nine years until high school. In 1998 he enrolled at Bishop Blanchet and then transferred to Roosevelt High School to finish his AA degree at Seattle Central Community College while in the Running Start program. Nick eventually enrolled at the University of Washington where he is currently pursuing a degree in History while working as a catering manager for the Seattle Aquarium.

Attica Prison Riot (1971)

Prisoners in Control of Prison Yard at Attica, Sept. 1971 Image Courtesy of ©Bettmann-Corbis The Attica prison riot took place at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York on September 13, 1971. This conflict would leave twenty one inmates and nine guards dead. It was the … Read MoreAttica Prison Riot (1971)

David Jones Peck (ca. 1826-1855)

David Jones Peck was the first black man to graduate from an American medical school. He was born to John C. and Sarah Peck in Carlisle, Pennsylvania around 1826. John Peck was a prominent abolitionist and minister who founded the local African Methodist Episcopal (AME) … Read MoreDavid Jones Peck (ca. 1826-1855)

Jesse B. Blayton Sr. (1879-1977)

Jesse B. Blayton, Sr., was a pioneer African American radio station entrepreneur. Blayton founded WERD-AM in Atlanta, Georgia on October 3, 1949 making him the first African American to own and operate a radio station in the United States. Jesse Blayton was born in Fallis, … Read MoreJesse B. Blayton Sr. (1879-1977)

Thomas L. Jennings (1791- 1856)

Thomas L. Jennings was the first black man to receive a patent. The patent was awarded on March 3, 1821 (US Patent 3306x) for his discovery of a process called dry-scouring which was the forerunner of today’s modern dry-cleaning. Jennings was born free in New … Read MoreThomas L. Jennings (1791- 1856)

Christopher J. Perry (1854-1920)

Philadelphia Tribune Historic Marker, Philadelphia Image Ownership: Public Domain Christopher J. Perry, a pioneering black businessman who championed racial equality, established the Philadelphia Tribune in 1884. The Tribune is the oldest continuously published African American newspaper in the nation. Perry was born in Baltimore, Maryland … Read MoreChristopher J. Perry (1854-1920)

Harry Pace (1884-1943)

Image Ownership: Public Domain Harry Herbert Pace was the founder of the first black record company, Pace Phonograph Corporation which sold recordings under the Black Swan Records label. He was born on January 6, 1884 in Covington, Georgia the son of Charles Pace and … Read MoreHarry Pace (1884-1943)

Frederick Drew Gregory (1941- )

Frederick Drew Gregory was a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut, administrator, and the first black man to command a space shuttle mission. Born January 7, 1941 to Francis A. and Nora Drew Gregory, he grew up in Washington, D.C. where he was an … Read MoreFrederick Drew Gregory (1941- )

Birmingham Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing (1963)

Image Ownership: Public Domain The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing took place on September, 15 1963. Four young girls, Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins, were killed in the racially motivated attack by the Ku Klux Klan against an African American … Read MoreBirmingham Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing (1963)

Orangeburg Massacre (1968)

Image courtesy of ©Bettmann-Corbis The Orangeburg Massacre took place in Orangeburg, South Carolina at South Carolina State University on February 8th, 1968. This horrific incident which ended with three young men, Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith, and Delano Middleton, killed and 27 other students wounded, was … Read MoreOrangeburg Massacre (1968)

Macon Bolling Allen (1816-1894)

Macon Bolling Allen is believed to be the first black man in the United States who was licensed to practice law. Born Allen Macon Bolling in 1816 in Indiana, he grew up a free man. Bolling learned to read and write on his on his … Read MoreMacon Bolling Allen (1816-1894)