Submitted by K.MiL – via FlyPaperNews.com Alfred L. Cralle (September 4, 1866–1920) was an African-American from Virginia who became an inventor and businessman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is best remembered for inventing the ice cream scoop in 1897, a practical design still nimsi widely in use over 100 years later.

Written by m. lauren – via FlyPaperNews.com Rubin Carter was a middleweight boxing champion once ranked as a top contender in the early 1960s. Nicknamed “Hurricane” for the speed and impact his punches could deliver, Carter stood at a mere 5 feet 8 inches, yet made a striking impression with his muscular build and commanding […]

Written by K.Moreland-Lee – via FlyPaperNews.com Carter G. Woodson, the son of slaves was self-educated until the age of 20 when he was able to attend and complete high school in two years. He went on to the University of Chicago where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree and was the second African American […]

Written by T. Cole – via FlyPaperNews.com Aretha Franklin -Singer Aretha Franklin found great success in music with her late-’60s hits with Atlantic Records–“Respect,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Chain of Fools,” “Baby I Love You,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Think,” “The House That Jack Built,” and several others– which earned her the title […]

Submitted by T.Cole – Mum Bett came into this world about 1748. She was born a slave, owned by Peter Hogebooma (a Dutchman), who lived in Claverack, New York. Bett was raised and served there until she was 33 years old. In 1781, during the American Revolution, she went to Sheffield, Massachusetts, where she worked […]

Written by T.Cole – via FlyPaperNews.com Lucy Terry (c. 1730–1821), orator/ poet. Lucy Terry was the creator of the earliest known work of literature by an African American. Her poem, “Bar’s Fight,” created when the poet was sixteen years old, records an Indian ambush of two white families on 25 August 1746 in a section […]