People, Locations, Episodes

Katie Booth, Biomedical Chemist born

*Katie Booth was born on this date in 1907. She was an African American biomedical chemist and community activist.

William Claytor, Mathematician born

William Claytor was born on this date in 1908. He was an African American mathematician and educator.

Theodore Howard, Surgeon, and Activist born

*Theodore Howard was born on this date in 1908. He was an African American surgeon, businessman and activist.

Hattie Bessent, Nurse, and Educator born

*Hattie Bessent was born on this date in 1908. She was a Black psychiatric nurse, educator, and administrator. From Florida, Bessent received her B.S. degree from Florida A&M University, an M.S. degree from Indiana University, and an EdD from the University of Florida in Psychological Foundations. After being trained as a psychiatric nurse, Bessent had a […]

Myra A. Logan, Surgeon, and Health Advocate born

*This date in 1908 is celebrated as the birth date of Myra Logan. She was a Black Surgeon and woman’s health advocate.   Myra Adele Logan was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, the daughter of Warren and Adella Hunt Logan. She was the youngest of eight children. Her mother was college-educated and involved in the suffrage […]

The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses is Founded

*On this date in 1908, the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) was founded. Martha Minerva Franklin founded the association.

Warren E. Henry, Scientist born

Warren Henry’s birth in 1909 is marked on this date. He was an African American scientist from Evergreen, AL.

Warren Elliot Henry was born on a peanut farm where George Washington Carver lived and did research during summer months. Both of his parents were graduates of Tuskegee Institute, and young Warren was reading when he was four, occasionally going on walks with his father and Carver. He, too, attended Tuskegee Institute, where he majored in three subjects: mathematics, English, and French, earning a Bachelor of Science.

Helen O. Dickens, Pioneering Doctor born

*Dr. Helen Octavia Dickens was born on this date in 1909. She was a doctor, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and former associate dean of medicine.

William Shockley Jr., Eugenicist born

*On this date in 1910, William Shockley Jr. was born.  He was a white-American physicist and inventor.   William Bradford Shockley Jr. was born to American parents in London and was raised in his family’s hometown of Palo Alto, California, from the age of three.  William Hillman Shockley’s father was a mining engineer who speculated in mines for a living and […]

Oran Eagleson, Psychologist, and Professor born

*Oran Eagleson was born on this date in 1910. He was a Black professor and psychologist. Oran Wendle Eagleson was born in Unionville, Indiana. He worked shining shoes and shoe repair finisher from high school through his graduate years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1931 and a master’s in 1932, both in Indiana. In […]

Von Mizell, Doctor born

*Von Mizell’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1910. He was a Black Physician and activist. Von Delaney Mizell was the son of Isadore S. and Minnie (Moore) Mizell, who lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and became the second Black doctor in Broward County, Florida. During this time, […]

Vivien Thomas, Surgical Researcher born

Vivien Theodore Thomas was born on this date in 1910. He was an African American supervisor of Surgical Research Laboratories.

Johnnie Carr, Nurse, and Activist born

*Johnnie Carr was born on this date in 1911. She was a Black Activist and nurse. From Alabama, Johnnie Rebecca Daniels was the daughter of parents John and Annie Richmond Daniels, the youngest of six children. When she was nine, her father died; following his death, the family moved away from their farm to the […]

Frances Rains, Nurse, and Businesswoman born

*On this date in 1911, Frances Mary McHie Rains was born. She was an African American nurse, community worker, educator and businesswoman.

From Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a young girl Frances McHie wanted to become a social worker mainly due to her exposure to a local activist and businesswoman W. Gertrude Brown. After high school she attempted to enroll at the University of Minnesota’s school of Nursing. After being turned down because she was Black, Minnesota senator Sylvanus A. “S.A.” Stockwell and Mrs. Brown brought the issues and young Frances before the state legislature.

The Crownsville Hospital Center of Maryland opens.

*The Crownsville Hospital Center opened on this date in 1911. This was a psychiatric hospital for Blacks located in Crownsville, Maryland. The first group of 12 patients arrived and lived in a work camp in a willow curing house adjacent to one of the willow ponds. Staff worked with them to prepare roads and to […]