Charles Ward Chappelle was an American engineer and businessman best known for his award-winning long-distance airplane in 1911 and his tenure as president of the African Union Company from 1913 to 1930. In January of 1911, Chappelle presented at the First Industrial Aero Show, a showcase of aircraft and … Read MoreCharles Chappelle (1872-1941)
Even if you have never heard his name, it is likely you have enjoyed the work of Dr. Marc Regis Hannah. An electrical engineer with expertise in computer graphics, Hannah developed the 3-D special effects systems used widely in movies, such as Terminator 2 (1991) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), as well … Read MoreMarc Regis Hannah (1956- )
Born near Circleville, Ohio to Michael Miles and Mary Pompy, Alexander Miles is the 19th Century African-American inventor known best for patenting his design for improving the automatically opening and closing elevator doors. The patent was issued on October 11, 1887 (U.S. Patent 371,207). Miles moved to Winona, Minnesota in 1870 … Read MoreAlexander Miles (1838-1918)
Site of Richard Freeman Saloon in Old Town San Diego Image Ownership: Public domain Richard Freeman, deputy city marshal and entrepreneur in the early years of San Diego, California, was born somewhere in the Eastern United States. His date of birth is unknown and so … Read MoreRichard Freeman (?-1851)
Naomi Ruth Sims is widely credited as the first African-American supermodel. A businesswoman and author, Sims was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal. Sims was born in Oxford, Mississippi, the youngest of three daughters, to John and Elizabeth … Read MoreNaomi Ruth Sims (1948-2009)
Ophelia DeVore Mitchell was an American businesswoman, publisher, and one of the first African American models in the United States. In 1946, she helped establish the Grace Del Marco Agency, one of the first modeling agencies in the nation. DeVore was born on August 12, … Read MoreOphelia DeVore Mitchell (1922-2014)
Drawing of Cal Johnson at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville “Image Ownership: WBIR” Calvin “Cal” Fackler Johnson was a businessman and philanthropist known as the wealthiest African American in Tennessee at the time of his death in 1925. Johnson was born enslaved in … Read MoreCalvin Fackler Johnson (1844–1925)
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Preston Taylor was an African American businessman, minister, and philanthropist, who, by the early twentieth century, was considered one of the most influential leaders of Nashville, Tennessee’s black community. Taylor created Greenwood Cemetery, the second oldest African American cemetery in Nashville, … Read MorePreston Taylor (1849–1931)
Milton Murray Holland was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his action in the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm. Murray was born on August 1, 1844 in Austin, Texas, the son of Bird … Read MoreMilton Murray Holland (1844-1910)
Ava Marie DuVernay is an American director, screenwriter, film marketer, and film distributor. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, DuVernay won the Best Director prize for her second feature film, Middle of Nowhere (2012), becoming the first African American woman to win that award. DuVernay … Read MoreAva Marie DuVernay (1972- )
