Black Surgeon Successfully Performs First Ever Transplant Surgery to Cure Deafness

A pioneering surgical procedure using 3D-printed middle ear bones, developed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria (UP) Faculty of Health in South Africa, may be the answer to conductive hearing loss, a middle ear problem caused by congenital birth defects, infection, trauma or metabolic diseases. The surgery, can be performed on everyone including new-borns.

This Choreographer Taught the Temptations and Other Motown Acts How to Dance

The Temptations is one of the most successful and important groups of Motown Records. The group was known for the sharp way they dressed, their harmonious voices, and their dance moves - a mix of snazzy and classic choreography. Few people know, however, that a man named Mr. Cholly Atkins worked with them behind the scenes helping them with their "vocal choreography".

Meet Ralph C. Bunche, the First African American to Win the Nobel Peace Prize

Ralph C. Bunche helped end a war, and was recognized for his efforts when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. He was the first African American to receive the award. Bunche earned the prestigious honor by applying his exceptional mediation and negotiation skills to bringing together the adversaries in the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict to work out and sign the 1949 Armistice Agreements.

Lola Falana, a Black Woman, Was the Original First Lady of Las Vegas in the 1970's

Las Vegas is home to some of the greatest and most talented performers alive today and throughout history, but did you know the original First Lady of Las Vegas was a Black woman named Lola Falana? Falana, born on September 11, 1942, was a singer and dancer whose passion for performing was clear even from a young age.

This Former Slave Invented a Unique Propeller For Steamboats But Wasn’t Allowed to Patent It

Benjamin T. Montgomery was a great inventor, who tried to patent his propeller for steamboats in 1864, but the U.S Patent Office rejected his application because he was Black.

Meet the Black Inventor Who Created the First Digital Cell Phone

Many people attribute the invention of the smartphone to Europeans, but in fact, the first digital cell phone was invented by an African American man named Jesse Eugene Russell.

Did Black Bounty Hunters and Slave Catchers Really Exist?

In the film Harriet about the heroic life and accomplishment of Harriet Tubman, there is a controversial scene showing a Black bounty hunter that is hunting slaves. Many people who viewed the film were disappointed with this scene, and have raised the question of whether or not Black bounty hunters also known as "trackers" or "slave catchers" really existed. Well, the answer to that question is "yes".

Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Arrested 29 Times For Committing These “Crimes”

Everybody knows who Martin Luther King, Jr. is, and what he did as a civil rights hero to contribute to freedom and equality for African Americans. But few people know that MLK was arrested almost 30 times fighting for what he believed in. His so-called "crimes" varied, and his arrests took place in various different cities in the south.

Meet the First Black Astronaut to Travel to Space in 1983 (Since Then 14 Others Have Done the Same!)

There were several Black astronauts before him, but Guion "Guy" Bluford was the first to actually travel into space. He was chosen to become a NASA astronaut in August 1979 out of thousands of possible candidates including two other African Americans, Ron McNair and Fred Gregory. He went on to fly four different shuttle missions.

Did Colonel Sanders Steal His KFC Recipe From a Black Woman Named Miss Childress?

For decades, there has been an ongoing controversial discussion about the origins of the famous Kentucky Fried Chicken original recipe. The controversy is whether or not the recipe that made KFC founder Colonel Harland David Sanders a wealthy billionaire was stolen from a Black woman named Miss Childress. Unfortunately, this debate exposes past and current problems when it comes to cultural misappropriation, intellectual property, and inequality.