People, Locations, Episodes

Black History, and American Abortion, a story

*Black history and American abortion are affirmed on this date in 1500. African women endured many crimes against humanity as part of the Middle Passage. White rape from enslavers and forced childbearing to supply labor for the slave base agrarian culture of the 13 colonies, Antebellum South, and more. Beginning in the 17th century, abortion and […]

Black History in STEM and Medicine, a story

On this date, the Registry looks at the African American contributions to science and chemistry in history.

Understanding the properties of substances or matter and how to make practical use of them is the essence of chemistry, whether the study takes place in a formal laboratory or not. The effectiveness of folk medicines used for centuries by traditional Africans and African American practitioners throughout the world is recognized today.

Thomas Fuller, Mathematician born

*This date in 1710 is celebrated as the birth date of Thomas Fuller, a Black African slave and mathematician.   He was born between present-day Liberia and Benin.  He was one of the millions of Black Africans kidnapped to America as a slave at 14 during the Middle Passage.  He was the property of Mrs. Elizabeth […]

Benjamin Banneker, Astronomer and Mathematician born

Benjamin Banneker was born on this date in 1731. He was a self-taught, Black astronomer and mathematician.

Banneker and his sisters were born free and grew up on a self-sufficient, 100-acre tobacco farm in Ellicott, MD. Growing up, he spent much of his free time devising and solving mathematical puzzles. It was not until after his retirement from farming at the age of 59 that Banneker began to study astronomy through borrowed books, becoming a man of science and mathematics through unassisted experimentation and close observation of natural phenomena.

James Durham, Physician, born

On this date we remember the birth of James Durham in 1762. He was the first recognized Black physician in the United States.

Dr. Nathan Thomas, Abolitionist born

*Nathan M. Thomas was born on this date in 1803.  He was a white-American doctor and abolitionist.  He was born in Mount Pleasant, Jefferson Co., Ohio, the son of Jesse and Avis (Stanton) Thomas, both devout Quakers. He studied medicine with local practitioners and at the Medical College of Ohio in Cincinnati. In June 1830, […]

Mary Seacole, Nurse, and Abolitionist born

*The birth of Mary Grant Seacole in 1805 is celebrated on this date. She was a Jamaican nurse and abolitionist.

Mary Jane Grant was born in Kingston, Jamaica; her father was a Scottish soldier, and her mother a Jamaican. Mary learned her nursing skills from her mother, who kept a boarding house for invalid soldiers. Although technically ‘free’, being of mixed race, Mary and her family had few civil rights – they could not vote, hold public office or enter the professions.

Norbert Rillieux, Engineer, and Inventor born

*This date marks the birth of Norbert Rillieux in 1806. He was an African American inventor and engineer whose patented inventions revolutionized the sugar refining industry.

J. Marion Sims, Racist Gynecologist born

*J. Marion Sims was born on this date in 1813.  He was a white-American doctor, often called the Father of gynecology.  From Lancaster, SC, James Marion Sims was one of two sons of John Jarrett “Jack” Sims, who was a county sheriff, and Mahala Mackey Sims.  His brother’s name was John Jarrett Sims Jr.  J. […]

Lord Beaconsfield Landry, Doctor, and Activist born

*Lord Beaconsfield Landry was born on this date in 1878. He was an African American physician, civic leader and vocal soloist.

David Livingstone, Congregationalist born

*David Livingstone was born on this date in 1813.  He was a white-Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and Christian missionary.  He was born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, and grew up in a single tenement room with several siblings. He started working at a cotton mill company as a child and would follow his long work schedule with schooling […]

James McCune Smith, Physician born

On this date in 1813, James McCune Smith was born. He was an African American physician and abolitionist.

From New York City, he received his early education at the African Free School. Though his academic credentials were exceptional, Smith was effectively barred from American Colleges because he was Black. Thus, Smith entered Glasgow University in Scotland in 1832 and earned three academic degrees, including a doctorate in medicine. He also gained a reputation in the Scottish anti-slavery movement as an officer of the Glasgow Emancipation Society.

Louis C. Roudanez, Doctor, and Businessman born

The birth of Louis Charles Roudanez in 1823 is celebrated on this date. He was a Black Creole of color physician, civic leader, and news publisher.

James Skivring Smith, Doctor, and Politician born

*James Skivring Smith was born on this date in 1825. He was a Black doctor and politician.

Alexander Augusta, Doctor born

*Alexander Thomas Augusta was born on this date in 1825. He was a Black physician and educator.

From Norfolk, Virginia, as a young man he first made his way to Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked as a barber. He began his study of medicine with private tutors and next applied for admission to the University of Pennsylvania. Though access was denied, a Professor William Gibson was impressed with Augusta and brought him under his guidance.