African American Firsts: 4th Edition: Famous, Little-Known, and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America

Updated With The Latest Facts And Photos



A Black history buff's dream. --Ebony



From ground-breaking achievements to awe-inspiring feats of excellence, this definitive resource reveals over 450 firsts by African Americans in fields as diverse as government, entertainment, education, science, medicine, law, the military, and the business world. Discover the first doctor to perform open heart surgery and the youngest person to fly solo around the world. Learn about the first African Americans to walk in space, to serve two terms as President of the United States, and many other wonderful and important contributions often accomplished despite poverty, discrimination, and racism. Did you know that. . .



At her first Olympics, Gabrielle Douglas became the first African American woman to win gold in both the team and individual all-around Olympic competitions.



Sophia Danenberg scaled new heights as the first African American to reach the top of Mount Everest.



Dr. Patricia E. Bath revolutionized laser eye surgery as the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent.



Shonda Rhimes was the first African American woman to create and produce a top television series.



Ursula Burns was the first African American woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company.



Spanning colonial days to the present, African American Firsts is a clear reflection of a prideful legacy, a celebration of our changing times, and a signpost to an even greater future.



Over 100 Pages of Photographs Fully Revised and Updated



Fascinating. . .an excellent source for browsing and for locating facts that are hard to find elsewhere. --School Library Journal



I recommend this book, a tool with innumerable possibilities which will help individuals understand. . .the contributions and inventions of African Americans. --The late Dr. Betty Shabazz



For browsing or serious queries on great achievements by blacks in America. --Booklist

Joan Potter is the co-author of three books: Still Here Thinking of You: A Second Chance With Our Mothers; The Book of Adirondack Firsts; and the children's book, African Americans Who Were First. She has published numerous articles in magazines and newspapers, and her personal essays have appeared in several anthologies and literary journals. She has taught memoir workshops in writing centers, libraries, and state prisons. She lives in Mount Kisco, New York.

About Joan Potter