Timeline of African-American firsts
Appearance
African-Americans are a demographic minority in the United States. This demographic has historically faced social and legal obstacles to cultural equality, including racial segregation. African-Americans' initial achievements in various fields historically establish a foothold, providing a precedent for more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for this is "breaking the color barrier".[1][2]
One commonly cited example is that of Jackie Robinson[3], who became the first African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era, after years of resistance to Black players by Caucasian team-owners and the existence of the segregated Negro Leagues.
18th century
- 1761
- First known African-American author: Jupiter Hammon (poem "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries", published as a broadside)
- 1770's
- Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, popularly known as "The Father of Chicago", was the first known settler in the area which is now Chicago, Illinois.
- 1773
- First known African-American woman to publish a book: Phillis Wheatley (Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral)
- 1783
- First African-American doctor in the United States: James Derham
- 1793
- First African-American church: Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church
19th century
- 1821
- First African-American to hold a patent: Thomas L. Jennings[4]
- 1823
- First African-American to receive a degree from an American college: Alexander Twilight (See also: 1836)
- 1827
- First African-American owned-and-operated newspaper: Freedom's Journal
- 1836
- First African-American elected to public office and to serve in a state legislature: Alexander Twilight (See also: 1823)
- 1837
- First professionally trained African-American doctor: James McCune Smith
- 1845
- First African-American licensed to practice law in the United States: Macon B. Allen (Massachusetts bar)[5]
- 1849
- First African-American university professor: Charles L. Reason
- 1853
- First novel written by an African-American: Clotel; or, The President's Daughter, by William Wells Brown.[6]
- 1856
- First university owned and operated by African-Americans: Wilberforce College
- 1858
- First play written by an African-American is published: The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom by William Wells Brown
- 1865
- First African-American field officer in the U.S. Army: Martin Delany
- 1868
- First elected African-American lieutenant governor: Oscar Dunn (Louisiana)
- 1869
- First African-American United States diplomat: Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett, minister to Haiti[7]
- 1870
- First African-American to vote in an election under the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting voting rights regardless of race: Thomas Mundy Peterson
- January: First African-American elected to U.S. Congress: Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels (Republican, Mississippi)[8]
- December: First African-American elected to U.S. House of Representatives: Joseph Rainey (Republican, South Carolina)[9]
- 1872
- First African-American governor (non-elected): P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana
- First African-American nominee for Vice President of the United States: Frederick Douglass, Equal Rights Party.[10]
- 1876
- First African-American to earn a doctorate degree: Edward Alexander Bouchet (Yale College Ph.D., physics; also first African-American to graduate from Yale, 1874)[4]
- 1877
- First African-American graduate of West Point and first African-American commissioned officer in the U.S. military: Henry Ossian Flipper
- 1884
- First African-American to play professional baseball at the major-league level: Moses Fleetwood Walker. (See also: Jackie Robinson, 1947)
- 1885
- First African-American woman to hold a patent: Sarah E. Goode[11]
- 1886
- First African-American Roman Catholic priest: Augustine Tolton
- 1891
- First African-American police officer in present-day New York City: Wiley Overton, hired by the Brooklyn Police Department seven years before the 1898 incorporation of the five boroughs into the city of New York.[12] (See also: Samuel J. Battle, 1911)
20th century
- 1901
- First African-American invited to dine at the White House: Booker T Washington
- 1903
- First Broadway musical written by African-Americans, and the first to star African-Americans: In Dahomey
- 1904
- First Greek-letter fraternal organization established by African Americans: Sigma Pi Phi
- 1906
- First intercollegiate Greek-letter organization established by African Americans: Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ)
- 1908
- First African-American heavyweight boxing champion: Jack Johnson
- First African-American Olympic gold medal winner: John Taylor (track and field medley relay team). (See also: William DeHart Hubbard, 1924)
- First intercollegiate Greek-letter sorority established by African Americans: Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑKΑ)
- 1910
- First African-American millionaire: Madame C. J. Walker
- 1911
- First African-American police officer in New York City: Samuel J. Battle, following the 1898 incorporation of the five boroughs into the city of New York, and the hiring of three African-American officers in the Brooklyn Police Department. Battle was also the NYPD's first African-American sergeant (1926), lieutenant (1935), and parole commissioner (1941).[12] (See also: Wiley Overton, 1891)
- 1917
- First African-American police officer killed in the line of duty: Robert H. Holmes in New York City:
- 1920
- First African-American NFL football players: Fritz Pollard (Akron Pros) and Bobby Marshall (Rock Island Independents )
- 1921
- First African-American woman to become a pilot, first American woman to hold an international pilot license: Bessie Coleman
- First African-American NFL football coach: Fritz Pollard, co-head coach, Akron Pros, while continuing to play running back
- 1924
- First African-American to win individual Olympic gold medal: William DeHart Hubbard (Long jump, 1924 Summer Olympics, Paris). (See also: John Taylor, 1908)
- 1925
- First African-American Foreign Service Officer: Clifton R. Wharton, Sr.[13]
- 1926
- First African-American woman to receive a degree (Ph.D.) from Yale University: Otelia Cromwell, who had previously been the first African-American graduate of Smith College.
- 1928
- First post-Reconstruction African-American elected to U.S. House of Representatives: Oscar Stanton De Priest (Republican; Illinois)
- 1932
- First African-American on a presidential ticket in the 20th century: James W. Ford (Communist Party USA, vice-presidential candidate running with William Z. Foster)
- 1934
- First African-American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat: Arthur W. Mitchell (Illinois)
- 1935
- First known interracial jazz group: Benny Goodman Trio (Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa)[14]
- 1936
- First African-American to conduct a major US orchestra: William Grant Still (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
- 1937
- First African-American federal magistrate: William Henry Hastie (later the first African-American governor of the United States Virgin Islands)
- 1940
- First African-American to win an Academy Award: Hattie McDaniel (Best Supporting Actress, Gone with the Wind, 1939)
- First African-American to be portrayed on a US. postage stamp: Booker T. Washington
- First African-American U.S. Army general: Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.
- 1941
- First African-American to give a White House Command Performance: Josh White
- First African-American to achieve the rank of Brigadier General (US Army): Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.
- 1942
- First African-American to be awarded the Navy Cross: Dorie Miller
- 1944
- First African-American commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy: The "Golden Thirteen"
- 1945
- First African-American member of the New York City Opera: Todd Duncan
- First African-American U.S. Marine Corps officer: Frederick C. Branch
- 1947
- First African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era: Jackie Robinson (Brooklyn Dodgers). (See also: Moses Fleetwood Walker, 1884)
- 1948
- First African-American male to receive an Academy Award: James Baskett (Honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of "Uncle Remus" in Song of the South, 1946) (See also: Sidney Poitier, 1964)
- First African-American U.S. Navy aviator: Jesse L. Brown
- First African-American composer to have an opera performed by a major U.S. company: William Grant Still (Troubled Island, New York City Opera)
- First African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal: Alice Coachman
- 1949
- First African-American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy: Wesley Brown[15]
- First African-American to hold rank of Ambassador of the United States: Edward R. Dudley, ambassador, and previously minister, to Liberia[16] (See also: 1869)
- 1950
- First African-American to win Pulitzer Prize: Gwendolyn Brooks (Book of poetry, Annie Allen, 1949)
- First African-American to win Nobel Peace Prize: Ralph Bunche
- First African-American NBA basketball players: Earl Lloyd (Washington Capitols), Chuck Cooper (Boston Celtics), and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton (New York Knicks)[17]
- First African-American star of a network television show: Ethel Waters, Beulah
- First African-American woman to compete on the world tennis tour: Althea Gibson
- 1952
- First African-American woman elected to a United States state senate: Cora Brown (Michigan)
- 1953
- First African-American basketball player to play in the NBA All-Star Game: Don Barksdale
- 1954
- First African-American US Navy Master Diver: Carl Brashear
- First African-American woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress: Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones, 1954). (At that time, nominations were announced in November of the year of release, instead of early the following year.)
- First individual African-American subject on the cover of Life magazine: Dororthy Dandridge
- 1955
- First African-American member of the Metropolitan Opera: Marian Anderson
- First African-American male dancer in a major ballet company: Arthur Mitchell (New York City Ballet; also first African-American principal dancer, 1956)
- 1956
- First African-American male star of a network television show: Nat King Cole, The Nat King Cole Show
- First African-American Wimbledon tennis champion: Althea Gibson (doubles, with Englishwoman Angela Buxton); also first African-American to win a Grand Slam event (French Open).
- 1957
- First African-American assistant coach in the NFL: Lowell W. Perry (See also: 1966)
- 1958
- First African-American flight attendant: Ruth Carol Taylor (Mohawk Airlines)
- 1962
- First African-American coach in Major League Baseball: John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil (Chicago Cubs)
- First African-American male professional wrestler to win a world heavyweight championship: Bobo Brazil (NWA)
- 1963
- First African-American bank examiner for the United States Department of the Treasury: Roland Burris
- 1964
- First movie with African-American interracial marriage: One Potato, Two Potato,[18] actors Bernie Hamilton and Barbara Barrie, written by Orville H. Hampton, Raphael Hayes, directed by Larry Peerce
- First African-American male to win the Academy Award for Best Actor: Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field, 1963) (See also: James Baskett 1948)
- 1965
- First African-American title character of a comic book series: Lobo (Dell Comics).[19] (See also: The Falcon, 1969, and Luke Cage, 1972)
- First African-American star of a network television drama: Bill Cosby, I Spy (co-star with Robert Culp)
- First African-American Playboy Playmate centerfold: Jennifer Jackson (March issue)
- First African-American U.S. Air Force general: Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. (three-star lieutenant general)
- First African-American female Ambassador of the United States: Patricia Roberts Harris, ambassador to Luxembourg
- 1966
- First African-American model on the cover of Vogue magazine: Donyale Luna
- First post-Reconstruction African-American elected to the U.S. Senate (and first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote): Edward Brooke (Republican; Massachusetts)
- First African-American Cabinet secretary: Robert C. Weaver (Department of Housing and Urban Development)
- First African-American major league umpire: Emmett Ashford
- First African-American NFL broadcaster: Lowell W. Perry (CBS, on Pittsburgh Steelers games) (See also: 1957)
- 1967
- First African-American mayor of a U.S. city: Robert C. Henry, (Springfield, Ohio)
- First African-American mayor of a large U.S. city: Carl B. Stokes (Cleveland, Ohio)
- First African-American appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States: Thurgood Marshall
- First African-American selected for astronaut traning: Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr.
- First African-American to win a PGA Tour event: Charlie Sifford (1967 Greater Hartford Open Invitational)
- 1968
- First African-American woman elected to U.S. House of Representatives: Shirley Chisholm (Democrat; New York)
- First African-American man to win a Grand Slam tennis event: Arthur Ashe (US Open)
- First African-American to start at quarterback in the modern era of professional football: Marlin Briscoe (Denver Broncos, AFL).
- First interracial kiss on U.S. television: Star Trek: "Plato's Stepchildren", actors William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, written by Meyer Dolinsky, directed by David Alexander.
- First African-American commissioned officer awarded the Medal of Honor: Riley L. Pitts
- First fine-arts museum devoted to African-American work: Studio Museum in Harlem
- 1969
- First African-American superhero: The Falcon, Marvel Comics' Captain America #117 (Sept. 1969).[19] (See also: Lobo, 1965 and Luke Cage, 1972)
- First African-American mayor of a California city: Douglas Dollarhide (Compton)
- First African-American graduate of Harvard Business School: Lillian Lincoln
- First African-American director of a major Hollywood motion picture: Gordon Parks (The Learning Tree)
- 1971
- First African-American U.S. Navy admiral: Samuel Gravely
- 1972
- First African-American to campaign for the U.S. presidency: Shirley Chisholm (See also: 1968)
- First African-American superhero to star in own comic-book series: Luke Cage, Marvel Comics' Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972).[19] (See also: Lobo, 1965, and The Falcon, 1969)
- First interracial kiss in a mainstream comics magazine: "The Men Who Called Him Monster", by writer Don McGregor (See also: 1975) and artist Luis Garcia, in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics magazine Creepy #43 (Jan. 1972)
- 1973
- First African-American to hold the plant manager position at a U.S. automobile company: Lowell W. Perry.
- First African-American Bond Girl in James Bond movie: Gloria Hendry (as Rosie Carver), Live and Let Die.
- First African-American Bond villain: Yaphet Kotto, playing Mr. Big/Dr. Kananga, Live and Let Die.
- First African-American comic-book creator to receive a "created by" cover-credit (Midnight Tales #1): Wayne Howard
- First African-American woman mayor of a U.S. metropolitan city Doris A. Davis, Compton, California.
- 1975
- First African-American manager in Major League Baseball: Frank Robinson (Cleveland Indians)
- First interracial kiss in a color comic book: Amazing Adventures #31 (July 1975), feature "Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds", characters M'Shulla Scott and Carmilla Frost, by writer Don McGregor (See also: 1972) and artist P. Craig Russell
- First African-American model on the cover of ELLE magazine: Beverly Johnson[20]
- First African-American four-star general: Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr.
- First TV-series cast with African-American interracial couple: The Jeffersons, actors Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker as Tom & Helen Willis; series creator: Norman Lear
- First African-American to win Super Bowl MVP in NFL: Franco Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers), Harris was of mixed heritage and also the first Italian-American to win the award as well
- 1976
- First African-American woman Broadway director: Vinnette Justine Carroll (Your Arms Too Short to Box with God)
- 1977
- First African-American, and first woman, appointed director of the Peace Corps: Carolyn R. Payton
- First African-American female in the U.S. Cabinet: Patricia Roberts Harris, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- 1978
- First African-American broadcast network news anchor: Max Robinson (ABC World News Tonight)
- 1979
- First African-American elected to a statewide office in Illinois (Comptroller): Roland Burris
- 1983
- First African-American astronaut: Guion Stewart "Guy" Bluford, Jr. (Challenger mission STS-8).[21]
- First African-American mayor of Chicago: Harold Washington
- 1984
- First African-American Miss America: Vanessa L. Williams
- First African-American New York City Police Commissioner: Benjamin Ward
- 1986
- First African-American Formula One racecar driver: Willy T. Ribbs[22] (See also: Ribbs, 1991)
- 1988
- First African-American woman elected to a U.S. judgeship, and first appointed to a state supreme court: Juanita Kidd Stout
- First African-American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics (a bronze in figure skating): Debi Thomas
- First African-American quarterback to start in the Super Bowl: Doug Williams
- 1989
- First African-American mayor of New York City: David Dinkins
- First African-American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Colin Powell
- 1990
- First African-American Playboy Playmate of the Year: Renee Tenison
- First elected African-American governor: Douglas Wilder (Democrat; Virginia)
- First African-American Miss USA: Carole Gist
- 1991
- First African-American woman mayor of a large U.S. city: Sharon Pratt Kelly (Washington, D.C.)
- First African-American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 auto race: Willy T. Ribbs (See also: Ribbs, 1986)
- 1992
- First African-American woman astronaut: Dr. Mae Jemison M.D. (Space Shuttle Endeavour)
- First African-American woman elected to U.S. Senate: Carol Mosely Braun (Democrat; Illinois)
- First African-American to Manage a team to World Series Championship: Cito Gaston (Toronto Blue Jays)
- 1993
- First African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature: Toni Morrison
- First African-American woman named Poet Laureate of the United States: Rita Dove; also the youngest person named to that position
- First African-American elected mayor of St. Louis, Missouri: Freeman Bosley, Jr.
- First African-American to be appointed as Surgeon General of the United States:: Jocelyn Elders
- 1994
- First African-American woman director of a major-studio movie: Darnell Martin (Columbia Pictures' I Like It Like That)
- 1996
- First African-American U.S. Navy four-star admiral: J. Paul Reason[23]
- 1997
- First African-American to win a Grand Slam event in golf: Tiger Woods (The Masters)[24]
- First African-American model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: Tyra Banks
- 1998
- First African-American U.S. Secretary of Labor: Alexis M. Herman
21st century
- 2001
- First African-American Secretary of State: Colin Powell
- First African-American president of the Unitarian Universalist Association: Rev. William G. Sinkford
- First African-American woman to win the ASCAP Pop Music Songwriter of the Year award: Beyoncé Knowles
- First African-American woman to be appointed National_Security_Advisor_(United_States): Condoleezza Rice
- 2002
- First African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress: Halle Berry (Monster's Ball, 2001)
- First African-American Winter Olympic gold medal winner: Vonetta Flowers (two-woman bobsleigh). (See also: Shani Davis, 2006)
- First female African-American combat pilot in the U.S. Armed Services: First Lieutenant Vernice Armour.[25]
- 2003
- First African-American woman to be appointed as police chief in Detroit: Ella Bully-Cummings
- 2005
- First female African-American Secretary of State: Condoleezza Rice
- 2006
- First African-American individual Winter Olympic gold medal winner: Shani Davis (men's 1000m speed skating).
- First African-American interracial gay kiss on network television: Will & Grace: "I Love L. Gay", actors Eric McCormack, Taye Diggs, written by Steve Gabriel, directed by James Burrows[26]
- First African-American Muslim (and first Muslim) elected to U.S. Congress: Representative Keith Ellison (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota)
- First African-American Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE) champion: Franklin Lashley a.k.a. Bobby Lashley
- First African-American Academy Award winner honored with a US postage stamp: Hattie McDaniel[27]
- 2007
- First African-American NFL head coaches in Super Bowl: Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) and Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears), Super Bowl XLI. Dungy's Colts won.
- First African-American to win an Academy Award for his or her screen debut: Jennifer Hudson (Best Supporting Actress, Dreamgirls, 2006) (see Academy Award: Acting records)
- First known African-American woman to reach the North Pole: Barbara Hillary[28] [29] (dead link)
Footnotes
- ^ Juguo, Zhang. W. E. B. Du Bois: The Quest for the Abolition of the Color Line, Routledge, 2001 - ISBN 0415930871
- ^ Herbst, Philip H. The Color of Words: an encyclopaedic dictionary of ethnic bias in the United States, Intercultural Press, p. 57, 1997 - ISBN 1877864978
- ^ Sailes, Gary Alan. African Americans in Sport: Contemporary Themes, Transaction Publishers, 1998 - ISBN 0765804409 (page 8, Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Color Barrier in Team Sports)
- ^ a b Infoplease: "Black Scientists & Inventors", by Ann Marie Imbornoni
- ^ The Massachusetts Historical Society: "Long Road to Justice: The African American Experienced in the Massachusetts Courts"
- ^ Because it was published in the U.K., the book is not the first African-American novel published in the United States. This credit goes to one of two disputed books: Harriet Wilson's Our Nig (1859), brought to light by Henry Louis Gates, Jr in 1982; or Julia C. Collins' The Curse of Caste; or The Slave Bride (1865), brought to light by William L. Andrews, an English literature professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Mitch Kachun, a history professor at Western Michigan University, in 2006. Andrews and Kachun document Our Nig as a novelized autobiography, and argue that The Curse of Caste is the first fully fictional novel by an African-American to be published in the USA. See: Smith, Dinitia. The New York Times (Oct. 28, 2006): "A Slave Story Is Rediscovered, and a Dispute Begins" (p. B7); Birkerts, Sven. The New York Times (Sunday, Oct. 29, 2006): "Emancipation Days" (The New York Times Book Review)
- ^ U.S. Department of State: Frequently Asked Historical Questions
- ^ Revels, the Mississippi State Senate's Adams County representative, was elected by the U.S. Senate in January 1870 to fill an unexpired term.
- ^ Rainey, a South Carolina state senator, was elected to fill the seat vacated by B. Franklin Whittemore. Rainey took his seat on December 12, 1870. John Willis Menard was actually the first African-American elected to the House (1868) but he was denied his seat.
- ^ Douglass did not seek the nomination or campaign after being nominated.
- ^ Factmonster: "Firsts in American Women's History"
- ^ a b New York City Police Museum: "A History of African Americans in the NYPD"
- ^ U.S. Deptartment of State: "Clifton R. Wharton: U.S. Postage Stamps Commemorate Distinguished American Diplomats"
- ^ Jazz Resource Library: "Important Firsts, Groups and their Leaders, and Groups and Personnel", compiled by David Baker)
- ^ "US People--Brown, Wesley A." Naval Historical Center. 1998-12-23. Retrieved 2006-10-31.
- ^ U.S. Department of State: Frequently Asked Historical Questions
- ^ Because of team schedules for season opening games, Lloyd was the first to play, on October 31, 1950, with Cooper debuting November 1 and Clifton November 4. Cooper was the first African-American player to be drafted by an NBA team, and Clifton the first to sign a contract with an NBA team.
- ^ GreenCine.com: "Black Cinema", by David Hudson (no date) Note: Asian-American interracial marriage had previously been portrayed.
- ^ a b c Note: The first Black superhero, Marvel's Black Panther, introduced in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966), is African, not African-American. This is also true of first Black character to star in his own feature, Waku, Prince of the Bantu, who headlined one of four features in the multitple-character omnibus series Jungle Tales (Sept. 1954 - Sept. 1955), from Marvel's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics.
- ^ Johnson is often erroneously credited as the first African-American model on the cover of American Vogue, but she was preceded by Donyale Luna, who appeared there in 1966.
- ^ Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Mendez was the first person of African descent in space, in 1980.
- ^ While Lewis Hamilton became the first Black Formula One racer in 2006, he is a British citizen of Grenadan ancestry, and not an African-American. Ribbs did not compete in a race, but drove a Formula One car professionally in January 1986 as a tester for the Brabham-BMW at Estoril, Portugal.
- ^ "Reason Is Navy's First Black Four-Star Admiral". U.S. Department of Defense. 1998-02-19. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
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(help) - ^ Woods' mixed ancestry — ¼ Chinese, ¼ Thai, ¼ African-American, ⅛ white, and ⅛ Native American — also makes him the first Asian American to achieve this feat.
- ^ "Women in the Marine Corps". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. United States Marine Corps. July 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
- ^ The first interracial male kiss on television, though not in a gay context, was on the "Sammy's Visit" episode (February 12, 1972) of the comedy-drama All in the Family, in which, at the last moment as a picture is taken, singer-actor Sammy Davis Jr., playing himself, chides the bigoted but celebrity-fawning Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) with a kiss on the cheek.
- ^ Video of the unveiling of the Hattie McDaniel US Postage Stamp, February 22, 2006
- ^ The Associated Press (May 6, 2007): "Cancer Survivor, 75, Skis to North Pole", by Meghan Barr
- ^ The Associated Press (May 7, 2007): "Historic? Maybe Amazing? Yes!"