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{{African American topics sidebar|right}}
{{see also|List of first African-American mayors}} for most mayor listings
[[African Americans|African Americans]] are a [[Demographic profile|demographic]] minority in the [[United States]]. 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."<ref>Juguo, Zhang. ''W. E. B. Du Bois: The Quest for the Abolition of the Color Line'', Routledge, 2001 - ISBN 0415930871</ref><ref>Herbst, Philip H. ''The Color of Words: an encyclopaedic dictionary of ethnic bias in the United States'', Intercultural Press, p. 57, 1997 - ISBN 1877864978</ref>

One commonly cited example is that of [[Jackie Robinson]], 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]].<ref>Sailes, Gary Alan. ''African Americans in Sport: Contemporary Themes, Transaction Publishers'', 1998 - ISBN 0765804409 (p. 8, "Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Color Barrier in Team Sports")</ref>

{|id="toc" class="toc" summary="Contents"
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|-
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'''[[#18th century|18th century]]'''<br>
'''[[#19th century|19th century]]:''' <!--[[#1800s|1800s]] • [[#1810s|1810s]] •--> [[#1820s|1820s]] • [[#1830s|1830s]] • [[#1840s|1840s]] • [[#1850s|1850s]] • [[#1860s|1860s]] • [[#1870s|1870s]] • [[#1880s|1880s]] • [[#1890s|1890s]]<br>
'''[[#20th century|20th century]]:''' [[#1900s|1900s]] • [[#1910s|1910s]] • [[#1920s|1920s]] • [[#1930s|1930s]] • [[#1940s|1940s]] • [[#1950s|1950s]] • [[#1960s|1960s]] • [[#1970s|1970s]] • [[#1980s|1980s]] • [[#1990s|1990s]]<br>
'''[[#21st century|21st century]]'''<br>
'''[[#See also|See also]]'''<br>
'''[[#References|References]]'''<br>
__NOTOC__
|}

==18th century==
*'''1760'''
::First known African-American published author: [[Jupiter Hammon]] (poem "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries", published as a [[Broadside (printing)|broadside]])

*'''1770s'''
::[[Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable]], popularly known as "The Father of Chicago", was the first known settler in the area which is now [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]].

*'''1773'''
::First known African-American woman to publish a book: [[Phillis Wheatley]] (''Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral'')

*'''1777'''
::First known African-American church congregation: The First Colored Baptist Church, renamed [[First African Baptist Church (Savannah)]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. This claim is contested by a church in Virginia and the [[Silver Bluff Baptist Church]] in Aiken County, South Carolina.<!--previous sentence taken directly from the [[First African Baptist Church (Savannah)]] Wikipedia article-->

*'''1778'''
::First African-American U.S. military regiment: the [[1st Rhode Island Regiment]]

*'''1783'''
::First African American to formally practice medicine in the U.S.: [[James Derham]], who did not hold an M.D. degree (See also: 1847)

*'''1792'''
::First major [[African-American]] [[Back-to-Africa movement]]: 1,200 slaves who escaped to settle in [[Settler Town, Sierra Leone]].

*'''1793'''
::First [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] established: [[Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church]]

==19th century==
===1820s===
*'''1821'''
::First African American to hold a [[patent]]: [[Thomas L. Jennings]]

*'''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]]''

===1830s===
*'''1836'''
::First African American elected to public office and to serve in a state legislature: [[Alexander Twilight]] (See also: 1823)

*'''1837'''
::First African-American doctor: Dr. [[James McCune Smith]] from the [[University of Glasgow]], [[Scotland]] (See also: 1783, 1847)

===1840s===
*'''1845'''
::First African American licensed to practice law in the United States: [[Macon Allen]] from the Boston [[Bar association|bar]] <ref>{{cite web |author= |title=Long Road to Justice: The African American Experienced in the Massachusetts Courts |url=http://www.masshist.org/longroad/03participation/profiles/allen.htm |publisher=The Massachusetts Historical Society |date=1845 |accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref>

*'''1847'''
::First African American to graduate from a U.S. medical school: Dr. [[David J. Peck]]<ref name="essort">[http://ohoh.essortment.com/africanamerican_rqdo.htm Essortment: "First 3 African American Physicians"]</ref> ([[Rush Medical College]]) (See also: 1783, 1837)
::First independent African-American nation and first African-American president of any nation: [[Joseph Jenkins Roberts]], [[Liberia]]

*'''1849'''
::First African-American university professor: [[Charles L. Reason]]

===1850s===
*'''1853'''
::First novel written by an African American: ''[[Clotel|Clotel; or, The President's Daughter]]'', by [[William Wells Brown]].<ref>Because it was published in the [[United Kingdom|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.</ref><ref name=nytsmith>{{cite news |author=Dinitia Smith|title=A Slave Story Is Rediscovered, and a Dispute Begins |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/28/books/28slav.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |pages=B7|work=The New York Times |date=28 October 2006 |accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Sven Birkerts|title=Emancipation Days |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/books/review/Birkerts.t.html |work=The New York Times |date=29 October 2006 |accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref>

*'''1854'''
::First institute of higher learning [[Historically black colleges and universities|created specifically to educate African Americans]]: Ashmun Institute in [[Pennsylvania]], renamed [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]] in 1866.

*'''1856'''
::First university owned and operated by African Americans: [[Wilberforce University|Wilberforce College]], [[Ohio]]

*'''1858'''
::First play written by an African American is published: ''The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom'' by [[William Wells Brown]]

*'''1858'''
::First African-American female college professor [[Sarah Jane Woodson Early]]

===1860s===
*'''1861'''
::First North American military unit with African-American officers: [[1st Louisiana Native Guard (CSA)|1st Louisiana Native Guard]] of the [[Confederate Army]]

::First African American United States government civil servant: [[William Cooper Nell]]

*'''1865'''
::First African-American field officer in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]: [[Martin Delany]]
::First African-American attorney admitted to the bar of the [[US Supreme Court]]: [[John Sweat Rock]]

*'''1866'''
::First recorded African-American woman in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]: [[Cathy Williams (Buffalo Soldier)|Cathy Williams]]

*'''1868'''
::First elected African-American [[lieutenant governor]]: [[Oscar Dunn]] ([[Louisiana]])

*'''1869'''
::First African-American United States [[diplomat]]: [[Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett]], minister to [[Haiti]]

===1870s===
*'''1870'''
::First African American to vote in an election under the [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|15th Amendment to the United States Constitution]], granting voting rights regardless of race: [[Thomas Mundy Peterson]]<ref name="npl">{{Cite web|url=http://www.npl.org/Pages/ProgramsExhibits/Exhibits/aafirsts.html|title=African-American Firsts Remembered: Lest We Forget|accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=November 5|publisher=Newark Public Library|year=2000|author=Mary D. Teasley, Deloris Walker-Moses, Curators}}</ref>
::'''''January:''''' First African American elected to [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]]: [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Hiram Rhodes Revels]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], [[Mississippi]])<ref>Revels, the [[Mississippi State Senate]]'s [[Adams County, Mississippi|Adams County]] representative, was elected by the U.S. Senate in January 1870 to fill an unexpired term.</ref>
::'''''December: '''''First African American elected to [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]: [[Joseph Rainey]] (Republican, [[South Carolina]])<ref>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.</ref>

*'''1872'''
::First African-American governor (non-elected): [[P.B.S. Pinchback]] of [[Louisiana]] (See also: Douglas Wilder, 1990)
::First African-American nominee for [[Vice President of the United States]]: [[Frederick Douglass]] by the [[Equal Rights Party (United States)|Equal Rights Party]].<ref>Douglass did not seek the nomination or campaign after being nominated.</ref>

*'''1876'''
::First African American to earn a [[doctorate degree]]: [[Edward Bouchet|Edward Alexander Bouchet]] ([[Yale College]] [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]], [[physics]]; also first African American to graduate from Yale, 1874)

*'''1877'''
::First African-American graduate of [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] and first African-American commissioned officer in the [[Military of the United States|U.S. military]]: [[Henry Ossian Flipper]].

*'''1879'''
::First African American to graduate from a formal nursing school: [[Mary Eliza Mahoney]]

===1880s===
*'''1881'''
::First African American whose signature appeared on U.S. paper currency: [[Blanche Bruce|Blanche K. Bruce]], [[Register of the Treasury|Registrar of the Treasury]].

*'''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]]

*'''1886'''
::First African-American [[Roman Catholic]] priest: [[Augustine Tolton]]

===1890s===
*'''1891'''
::First African-American [[police officer]] in present-day [[New York City]]: [[Wiley Overton]], hired by the [[Brooklyn]] Police Department prior to 1898 incorporation of the five boroughs into the City of New York.<ref name="nypd">[http://www.nycpolicemuseum.org/html/tour/aah/aahweb.htm New York City Police Museum: "A History of African Americans in the NYPD"]</ref> (See also: Samuel J. Battle, 1911)

*'''1892'''
::First African American to sing at [[Carnegie Hall]]: [[Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones]]

*'''1895'''
::First African American to earn a [[doctorate degree]] (Ph.D.) from [[Harvard University]]: [[W.E.B. Du Bois]]

*'''1896'''
::First African American appointed to serve as [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] Paymaster [[Richard R. Wright]]

==20th century==
===1900s===
*'''1901'''
::First African American invited to dine at the [[White House]]: [[Booker T. Washington]]

*'''1902'''
::First African-American professional [[basketball]] player: [[Harry Lew]] (New England Professional Basketball League) (See also: 1950)

*'''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), at [[Cornell University]]

*'''1908'''
::First African-American [[heavyweight]] [[boxing]] champion: [[Jack Johnson (boxer)|Jack Johnson]]
::First African-American Olympic [[gold medal]] winner: [[John Taylor (athlete)|John Taylor]] ([[Athletics (track and field)|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)

*'''1909'''
::First African-American scholar to address the [[American Historical Association]]: [[W.E.B. Du Bois]]

===1910s===
*'''1910'''
::First African-American millionaire: [[Madam 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 [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]]'s first African-American [[sergeant]] (1926), [[lieutenant]] (1935), and [[parole]] [[commissioner]] (1941).<ref name="nypd" /> (See also: Wiley Overton, 1891)

*'''1916'''
::First African-American [[American football|football player]] to play in the [[1916 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]] game: [[Fritz Pollard]] for the [[Brown University]] Bruins; also first African-American football player named to a [[College Football All-America Team]] (the [[Walter Camp]] All-American football team)

*'''1917'''
::First African-American [[police officer]] killed in the line of duty: [[Robert H. Holmes]] in [[New York City]]
::First African-American woman to win a major sports title: [[Lucy Diggs Slowe]], [[American Tennis Association]]

===1920s===
*'''1920'''
::First African-American [[National Football League|NFL]] [[American football|football players]]: [[Fritz Pollard]] ([[Akron Pros]]) and [[Bobby Marshall]] ([[Rock Island Independents]])

*'''1921'''
::First African-American woman to become a [[aviator|pilot]], first American woman to hold an international pilot license: [[Bessie Coleman]]
::First African-American [[National Football League|NFL]] [[American football|football]] [[Coach (sport)|coach]]: Fritz Pollard, co-head coach, Akron Pros, while continuing to play [[running back]]
::First African-American woman to earn a [[Ph.D.]] in the U.S.: [[Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander]] Ph.D. in Economics from [[University of Pennsylvania]]

*'''1924'''
::First African American to win individual [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] gold medal: [[William DeHart Hubbard]] ([[Long jump]], [[1924 Summer Olympics]], [[Paris, France|Paris]]). (See also: John Taylor, 1908)

*'''1925'''
::First African-American [[Foreign Service Officer]]: [[Clifton R. Wharton, Sr.]]

*'''1926'''
::First African-American woman to receive a degree ([[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]]) from [[Yale University]]: [[Otelia Cromwell]], who had previously been the first African-American graduate of [[Smith College]].

*'''1928'''
::First post-[[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]] African American elected to [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]: [[Oscar Stanton De Priest]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]; [[Illinois]])

===1930s===
*'''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 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]: [[Arthur W. Mitchell]] (Illinois)

*'''1935'''
::First known interracial jazz group: [[Benny Goodman|Benny Goodman Trio]] (Benny Goodman, [[Teddy Wilson]], [[Gene Krupa]])<ref>[http://www.jazzinamerica.org/l_important.asp Jazz Resource Library: "Important Firsts, Groups and their Leaders, and Groups and Personnel", compiled by David Baker)]</ref>

*'''1936'''
::First African American to conduct a major U.S. [[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]])

*'''1939'''
::First African-American network radio host: [[Hal Jackson]], [[WLXE|WINX]]-Washington, D.C.

===1940s===
*'''1940'''
::First African American to win an [[Academy Award]]: [[Hattie McDaniel]] ([[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]], ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'', 1939)
::First African American to be portrayed on a US. [[postage stamp]]: [[Booker T. Washington]]
::First African-American [[United States Army|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 [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[brigadier general]]: [[Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.]]

*'''1942'''
::First African American to be awarded the [[Navy Cross]]: [[Dorie Miller]]

*'''1944'''
::First African-American [[commissioned officers]] in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]: The "[[Golden Thirteen]]"
::First African American commissioned as a [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] officer from the [[Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps]]: [[Samuel L. Gravely, Jr.|Samuel Gravely]]. Gravely was also the first African American to command a U.S. Navy warship (1962), and the first promoted to the rank of admiral (1971).
::First African American to co-pastor with a white minister at the first interracial church: Dr. [[Howard Thurman]] with Dr. [[Alfred Fisk]], [[Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples]], [[San Francisco]]

*'''1945'''
::First African-American member of the [[New York City Opera]]: [[Todd Duncan]]
::First African-American [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] officer: [[Frederick C. Branch]]

*'''1947'''
::First African-American [[Major League Baseball]] player [[History of baseball in the United States#Blacks return to the major leagues|of the modern era]]: [[Jackie Robinson]] ([[Brooklyn Dodgers]]). (See also: Moses Fleetwood Walker, 1884)
::First African-American consensus college All-American basketball player: [[Don Barksdale]]

*'''1948'''
::First African-American man 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]]
::First African-American on an Olympic basketball team and first African-American Olympic gold medal basketball winner: [[Don Barksdale]], in the [[1948 Summer Olympics]]

*'''1949'''
::First African-American graduate of the [[United States Naval Academy|U.S. Naval Academy]]: [[Wesley A. Brown|Wesley Brown]]
::First African American to hold rank of [[Ambassador of the United States]]: [[Edward R. Dudley]], ambassador, and previously minister, to [[Liberia]] (See also: 1869)

===1950s===
*'''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 individual African-American as subject on the cover of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine: Jackie Robinson, May 8, 1950
::First African-American [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] [[basketball player]]s: [[Earl Lloyd]] ([[Washington Capitols]]), [[Chuck Cooper (basketball)|Chuck Cooper]] ([[Boston Celtics]]), and [[Nat Clifton|Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton]] ([[New York Knicks]])<ref>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 [[NBA Draft|drafted]] by an NBA team, and Clifton the first to sign a contract with an NBA team.</ref> (See also: 1902)
::First African-American star of a [[network television]] [[TV show|show]]: [[Ethel Waters]], ''[[Beulah (series)|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 legislature (United States)|state senate]]: [[Cora Brown]], Democrat ([[Michigan]])
::First African-American U.S. Marine Corps aviator: [[Frank E. Petersen]]

*'''1953'''
::First African-American [[neurosurgeon]]: Dr. [[Clarence S. Greene, Sr.]] <ref> [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17277696 Clarence Sumner Greene, Sr.: the first African-American neurosurgeon] </ref>
::First African-American [[basketball]] player to play in the [[National Basketball Association All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]]: [[Don Barksdale]] in the [[1953 NBA All-Star Game]]
::First African American named as Dean of chapel at a majority white university: [[Howard Thurman]] at Marsh Chapel, [[Boston University]]

*'''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 woman as subject on the cover of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine: Dorothy Dandridge, November 1, 1954

*'''1955'''
::First African-American member of the [[Metropolitan Opera]]: [[Marian Anderson]]
::First African-American male dancer in a major [[ballet]] company: [[Arthur Mitchell (dancer)|Arthur Mitchell]] ([[New York City Ballet]]; also first African-American principal dancer of a major ballet company (NYCB), 1956.<ref>[http://www.spelman.edu/bush-hewlett/BlackPresence/bios.html Spelman College: The Black Presence in American Dance website]</ref> (See also: 1969)
::First African American singer to appear in a telecast opera: [[Leontyne Price]] in [[NBC]]'s production of ''[[Tosca]]''

*'''1956'''
::First African-American male star of a [[network television]] [[TV show|show]]: [[Nat King Cole]], ''The Nat King Cole Show''
::First African-American [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] [[tennis]] champion: [[Althea Gibson]] (doubles, with Englishwoman [[Angela Buxton]]); also first African American to win a [[Grand Slam title|Grand Slam]] event ([[French Open]]).

*'''1957'''
::First African-American assistant coach in the [[NFL]]: [[Lowell W. Perry]] (See also: 1966)

*'''1958'''
<!--O'Ree info needs to go into footnote, once first African-American hockey player is put here: First black [[NHL]] [[hockey]] player: [[Willie O'Ree]] ([[Boston Bruins]]) (Even though O'Ree is the first black person to play in the NHL, he is [[Black Canadian]] and not African-American.)-->
::First African-American [[flight attendant]]: Ruth Carol Taylor ([[Mohawk Airlines]])

*'''1959'''
::First African-American [[Grammy Award]] winners, in the award's inaugural year: [[Ella Fitzgerald]] and [[Count Basie]] (two awards each)<ref>[http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/ Grammy Awards official site] &mdash; list of winners for Grammy Award inaugural year, presented May 4, 1959, for recordings made in 1958</ref>

===1960s===
*'''1960'''
::First African-American US presidential candidate: Rev. [[Clennon Washington King, Jr.|Clennon King]], on the [[Independent Afro-American]] party

*'''1961'''
::First African American to win the [[Heisman Trophy]]: [[Ernie Davis]]

*'''1962'''
::First African-American coach in [[Major League Baseball]]: [[Buck O'Neil|John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil]] ([[Chicago Cubs]])
::First African-American male [[professional wrestler]] to win a [[world heavyweight championship]]: [[Bobo Brazil]] ([[NWA World Heavyweight Championship|NWA]])

*'''1963'''
::First African-American bank examiner for the [[United States Department of the Treasury]]: [[Roland Burris]]
::First company to use an African-American in a televised commercial: Wisk Detergent.{{Fact |date=May 2008}}
::First African American named as [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine's]] [[Time Person of the Year|Man of the Year]]: [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] <ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Person of the Year: Martin Luther King Jr. |url=http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/personoftheyear/archive/stories/1963.html |work=Time |date=3 Janauary 1963 |accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref>
::First African-American police officer of the NYPD to be named a precinct commander: [[Lloyd Sealy]], commander of the NYPD's 28th precinct in Harlem.<ref> [http://www.nycpolicemuseum.org/html/tour/aah/aahweb.htm New York City Police Museum: A History of African Americans in the NYPD] </ref>
::First African-American [[chess master]]: [[Walter Harris (chessmaster)|Walter Harris]]<ref name=chesslife>[http://www.thechessdrum.net/historicmoments/HM_BlackChess/index.html Gregory Kearse, "Historic Moments: A Legacy of Excellence", ''Chess Life'' July 1998 reprinted at TheChessDrum.net]</ref><ref>[http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-quiz Chess.com "Chess Quiz" Question #43]</ref>

*'''1964'''
::First movie with African-American interracial marriage: ''[[One Potato, Two Potato]]'',<ref>[http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/black-1.jsp GreenCine.com: "Black Cinema", by David Hudson (no date)] Note: Asian-American interracial marriage had previously been portrayed.</ref> actors [[Bernie Hamilton]] and [[Barbara Barrie]], written by [[Orville H. Hampton]], [[Raphael Hayes]], directed by [[Larry Peerce]]
::First African-American man 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)|Lobo]] ([[Dell Comics]]).<ref name="marvel">The first Black superhero, Marvel's [[Black Panther (comics)|Black Panther]], introduced in ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' #52 (July 1966), is African, not African-American. This is also true of the first Black character to star in his own mainstream comic-book feature, Waku, Prince of the Bantu, who headlined one of four features in the multiple-character omnibus series ''[[Jungle Action#Additional Atlas jungle titles|Jungle Tales]]'' (Sept. 1954 - Sept. 1955), from Marvel's 1950s predecessor, [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]].</ref> (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 (model)|Jennifer Jackson]] (March issue)
::First African-American [[United States Air Force|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]]
::First African-American [[National Football League|NFL]] [[Official (American football)|official]]: [[Burl Toler]], field judge/head linesman
::First African-American to win a national [[chess]] championship: [[Frank Street, Jr.]] (U.S. Amateur Championship)<ref>http://www.thechessdrum.net/drummajors/F_Street.html</ref>

*'''1966'''
::First African-American coach in [[National Basketball Association]]: [[Bill Russell]] ([[Boston Celtics]])
::First African-American mayor of a U.S. city: [[Robert C. Henry]], ([[Springfield, Ohio]], appointed by city commission)
::First African-American model on the cover of a ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' (British ''[[Vogue (British magazine)|Vogue]]'') magazine: [[Donyale Luna]]
::First post-[[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]] African American elected to the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] (and first African American elected to the U.S. Senate by [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|popular vote]]): [[Edward Brooke]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]; [[Massachusetts]])
::First African-American [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] secretary: [[Robert C. Weaver]] ([[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|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)
::First African-American Fire Commissioner of a major U.S. City: [[Robert O. Lowery]] of the [[New York City Fire Department]]
::First starting team made up entirely of African Americans to win the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA basketball tournament]]: Orsten Artis, [[Harry Flournoy]], [[Bobby Joe Hill]], [[David Lattin]], and [[Willie Worsley]] of [[UTEP Miners|Texas Western College]]

*'''1967'''
::First African American elected 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 training: [[Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr.]]
::First African American to win a [[PGA Tour]] event: [[Charlie Sifford]] (1967 [[Travelers Championship|Greater Hartford Open Invitational]])
::First African-American woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar [[Marian Wright Edelman]]

*'''1968'''
::First African-American woman elected to [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]: [[Shirley Chisholm]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]; [[New York]])
::First African-American man to win a Grand Slam tennis event: [[Arthur Ashe]] ([[U.S. Open (tennis)|US Open]])
::First African American to start at [[quarterback]] in the modern era of professional [[American football|football]]: [[Marlin Briscoe]] ([[Denver Broncos]], [[American Football League|AFL]]).
::First African-American interracial kiss on network [[television programming|television]]: actors [[Nichelle Nichols]] and [[William Shatner]] <ref>{{cite episode |title=Plato's Stepchildren | episodelink=Plato's Stepchildren | series=Star Trek | serieslink=Star Trek: The Original Series | credits=directed by David Alexander; written by [[Meyer Dolinsky]] | network=NBC | airdate=1968-11-22 | season=3 | number=65 |accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref>
::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]]
::First African-American woman as Presidential candidate: [[Charlene Mitchell]] (See also: Shirley Chisholm, 1972)
::First African-American woman reporter for the ''[[New York Times]]'': [[Nancy Hicks Maynard]]

*'''1969'''
::First African-American [[superhero]]: [[Falcon (comics)|The Falcon]], [[Marvel Comics]]' ''[[Captain America]]'' #117 (Sept. 1969).<ref name="marvel" /> (See also: Lobo, 1965 and Luke Cage, 1972)
::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]]'')
::First African-American founder of a classical training school and company of [[ballet]]: [[Arthur Mitchell (dancer)|Arthur Mitchell]], [[Dance Theatre of Harlem]] (See also: 1955)

===1970s===
*'''1971'''
:: First African-American ownership of a radio station: [[Hal Jackson]] and [[Percy Sutton]], [[WLIB]]-New York

*'''1972'''
::First African American to campaign for the U.S. presidency in a major political party: [[Shirley Chisholm]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]) (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).<ref name="marvel" /> (See also: Lobo, 1965, and The Falcon, 1969)
::First African-American interracial kiss in a mainstream comics magazine: "The Men Who Called Him Monster", by writer [[Don McGregor]] (See also: 1975) and artist [[Luis Garcia (artist)|Luis Garcia]], in [[Warren Publishing]]'s black-and-white [[horror fiction|horror]]-comics magazine ''[[Creepy]]'' #43 (Jan. 1972)
::First African-American interracial male kiss: [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] and [[Carroll O'Connor]] in ''[[All in the Family]]''<ref>{{cite episode |title=Sammy's Visit | episodelink=List of All in the Family episodes#Season 2: 1971-1972 | series=All in the Family | serieslink=All in the Family | credits= | network=CBS | airdate=1972-02-12 | season=2 | number=34 |accessdate=2008-02-15}} In the comedy-drama ''[[All in the Family]]'', at the last moment as a picture is taken, Sammy Davis Jr., playing himself, chides the [[bigotry|bigoted]] but celebrity-fawning [[Archie Bunker]] with a kiss on the cheek.</ref>

*'''1973'''
::First African American to hold the plant manager position at a U.S. automobile company: [[Lowell W. Perry]].
::First African American elected Mayor of [[Los Angeles, California]]: [[Tom Bradley (politician)|Tom Bradley]]
::First African-American [[Bond Girl]] in a [[James Bond]] movie: [[Gloria Hendry]] (as [[Rosie_Carver#Rosie_Carver|Rosie Carver]]), ''[[Live and Let Die]]''.
::First African-American [[James Bond villains|Bond villain]]: [[Yaphet Kotto]], playing [[Mister Big (James Bond)|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]]
::First African-American [[artistic director]] of a professional regional theater: [[Harold Scott, Director|Harold Scott]] ([[Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park]])

*'''1974'''
::First African-American model on the cover of American ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' magazine: [[Beverly Johnson]]

*'''1975'''
::First African American elected mayor, and first mayor, of [[Washington, D.C.]]: [[Walter Washington]]
::First African-American manager in [[Major League Baseball]]: [[Frank Robinson]] ([[Cleveland Indians]])
::First African-American [[General (United States)|four-star general]]: [[Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr.]]
::First African-American women named as [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine's]], [[Time Person of the Year|Person of the Year]]: [[Barbara Jordan]] and [[Addie L. Wyatt]] <ref>{{cite news |author= |title=A Dozen Who Made a Difference |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947599-5,00.html |work=Time |date=05 January 1976 |accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref>
::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 model on the cover of ''[[ELLE]]'' magazine: [[Beverly Johnson]]
::First African American to win [[Super Bowl MVP]] in [[NFL]]: [[Franco Harris]] ([[Pittsburgh Steelers]]). Of mixed heritage, Harris was also first Italian American to win the award.
::First African-American [[game show]] host: [[Adam Wade]] ([[CBS]]' ''[[Musical Chairs (1975 TV series)|Musical Chairs]]'')
::First African-American 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]]

*'''1976'''
::First African-American woman [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] director: [[Vinnette Justine Carroll]] (''[[Your Arms Too Short to Box with God]]'')
::First African-American woman elected officer of international labor union: [[Addie L. Wyatt]]

*'''1977'''
::First African American, and first woman, appointed director of the [[Peace Corps]]: [[Carolyn R. Payton]].
::First African-American woman in the [[U.S. Cabinet]]: [[Patricia Roberts Harris]], [[Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]].
::First African-American woman whose signature appeared on U.S. currency: [[Azie Taylor Morton]], the 36th [[Treasurer of the United States]]

*'''1978'''
::First African-American broadcast network news anchor: [[Max Robinson]] ([[ABC World News Tonight]])

*'''1979'''
::First African American and first person ever to win the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Miniseries or a Movie|Emmy Award Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries]]: [[Esther Rolle]]
::First African-American U.S. Marine Corps general officer: [[Frank E. Petersen]]
<!--::First African-American man to win [[Daytime Emmy Award]] for lead actor in a [[soap opera]]: [[Al Freeman, Jr.]] (Ed Hall in ''[[One Life To Live]]'')-->

===1980s===
*'''1980'''
::First African-American woman board-certified in [[maternal-fetal medicine]] (also known as high-risk [[obstetrics]]): Dr. [[Yvonne S. Thornton]] <ref> The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story. ISBN-10: 0758201168</ref>

*'''1981'''
:: First African-American ownership of a major metropolitan newspaper: [[Robert C. Maynard|Robert C.]] and [[Nancy Hicks Maynard]], ''[[The Oakland Tribune]]''

*'''1982'''
::First African American male to win the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]: [[Louis Gossett, Jr.]]
::First African American to receive the [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]]: [[Charles Fuller]] for ''[[A Soldier's Play]]''

*'''1983'''
::First African-American astronaut: [[Guion Bluford|Guion Stewart "Guy" Bluford, Jr.]] ([[Space Shuttle Challenger|Challenger]] mission [[STS-8]]).<ref>Cuban [[cosmonaut]] [[Arnaldo Mendez]] was the first person of African descent in space, in 1980.</ref>
::First African-American [[mayor]] of [[Chicago]]: [[Harold Washington]]
::First African-American [[Miss America]]: [[Vanessa L. Williams]]
::First African-American [[WWE Tag Team Champions]]: [[Rocky Johnson]] and [[Tony Atlas]]
::First African-American to appear on [[MTV]] via music video: [[Michael Jackson]]

*'''1984'''
::First African American to win a U.S. presidential primary/caucus: [[Jesse Jackson]] (Louisiana, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Virginia and one of two separate Mississippi contests).
::First African American coach to lead his team to the [[1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA Division I men's basketball championship]]: [[John Thompson (basketball)|John Thompson]]
::First African American New York City Police Commissioner: [[Benjamin Ward]]

*'''1985'''
::First African American to become a member of the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]'s [[Blue Angels]] precision flying team: [[Donnie Cochran]]. Cochran was also the first African American to command the team (1994).
::First African-American to win the [[Laura Aspis Prize]]: [[K. K. Karanja]]

*'''1986'''
::First African-American [[Formula One]] [[auto racing|racecar]] driver: [[Willy T. Ribbs]]<ref> [[Lewis Hamilton]] became the first black Formula One racer in 2006, but he is a British citizen of [[Grenada]]n ancestry, and not an African American. [[Willy T. Ribbs|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]].</ref> (See also: Ribbs, 1991)
::First African-American musicians inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], in the inaugural class: [[Chuck Berry]], [[James Brown]], [[Ray Charles]], [[Sam Cooke]], [[Fats Domino]], and [[Little Richard]]

*'''1987'''
::First African-American woman, and first woman, inducted into the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]]: [[Aretha Franklin]]

*'''1988'''
::First African-American woman elected to a U.S. [[judge]]ship, and first appointed to a [[Supreme court|state supreme court]]: [[Juanita Kidd Stout]]
::First African-American to win the [[Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actor Award]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]]: [[Forest Whitaker]] ([[Bird (1988 film)|Bird]])
::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 (football player)|Doug Williams]]
::First African-American [[National Football League|NFL]] referee: [[Johnny Grier]]

*'''1989'''
::First African-American mayor of [[New York City]]: [[David Dinkins]]
::First African-American [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]]: [[Colin Powell]]

===1990s===
*'''1990'''
::First elected African-American [[state governor|governor]]: [[Douglas Wilder]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]; [[Virginia]]) (See also: [[P. B. S. Pinchback]], 1872)
::First African American elected president of the ''[[Harvard Law Review]]'': [[Barack Obama]] (See also: 2008)
::First African-American [[Miss USA]]: [[Carole Gist]]
::First African-American ''[[Playboy]]'' [[Playmate of the Year]]: [[Renee Tenison]]

*'''1991'''
::First African-American nominated for a Best Director Academy Award. [[John Singleton]] for ''[[Boyz N The Hood]]''
::First African-American woman mayor of a major U.S. city: [[Sharon Pratt Kelly]], ([[Washington, D.C.]])
::First African American to qualify for the [[Indianapolis 500]] [[auto racing|auto race]]: [[Willy T. Ribbs]] (See also: Ribbs, 1986)

*'''1992'''
::First African-American [[WCW World Heavyweight Championship|World Heavyweight Champion]] of wrestling for a major promotion ([[World Championship Wrestling]]): [[Ron Simmons]]
::First African-American woman astronaut: Dr. [[Mae Jemison]] ([[Space Shuttle Endeavour]])
::First African-American woman elected to [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]]: [[Carol Moseley Braun]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]; [[Illinois]])
::First African American to manage a [[Major League Baseball]] team to a [[World Series]] Championship: [[Cito Gaston]] ([[Toronto Blue Jays]])

*'''1993'''
::First African American woman appointed [[U.S. Secretary of Energy]]: [[Hazel R. O'Leary]]
::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 appointed Surgeon General of the United States: [[Joycelyn Elders]]
::First African-American woman to win a national [[chess]] championship: [[Kimberly McClelland]]

*'''1994'''
::First African-American to win multiple national [[chess]] championships: [[Shearwood McClelland III]]<ref>http://www.theleagueonline.org/alumni_spotlight.php?submit=detail&uid=92</ref>
::First African-American woman director of a major-studio movie: [[Darnell Martin]] ([[Columbia Pictures]]' ''[[I Like It Like That]]'')

*'''1995'''
::First African-American inductee to the [[Radio Hall of Fame]]: [[Hal Jackson]]

*'''1996'''
::First African-American U.S. Navy [[Admiral (United States)|four-star admiral]]: [[J. Paul Reason]] <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb1998/n02191998_9802198.html |title=Reason Is Navy's First Black Four-Star Admiral |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |date=[[1998-02-19]] |accessdate=2006-10-30}}</ref>

*'''1997'''
::First African American to win a [[men's major golf championships|Grand Slam]] event in [[golf]]: [[Tiger Woods]] ([[The Masters Tournament|The Masters]])<ref name="Tiger">Woods' mixed ancestry — ¼ [[Chinese people|Chinese]], ¼ [[Thai people|Thai]], ¼ African-American, ⅛ [[White American|white]], and ⅛ [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] — also makes him the first [[Asian American]] to achieve this feat.</ref>
::First African-American model to appear on the cover of ''[[Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition]]'': [[Tyra Banks]]

*'''1998'''
::First African American appointed [[U.S. Secretary of Labor]]: [[Alexis M. Herman]]
::First African-American [[WWE Championship|WWE Champion]]: [[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock]]
::First African-American woman to hold the rank of [[rear admiral]] in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]: [[Lillian E. Fishburne|Lillian Fishburne]]

*'''1999'''
::First African American to be awarded the [[International Grandmaster]] title in [[chess]]: [[Maurice Ashley]]
::First African American CEO of a [[Fortune 500]] company: [[Franklin Raines]] of [[Fannie Mae]]<ref>{{Citation
| last = Farmer
| first = Paula
| title = The First African American To Head A Fortune 500 Company, Franklin D. Raines Takes Over Fannie Mae
| journal = The Black Collegian
| date = August
| year = 1999
| url = http://www.black-collegian.com/issues/1999-08/fdraines.shtml
| accessdate = 2008-11-07}}</ref>

==21st century==

*'''2000'''
::First person and African American woman to win [[ASCAP]] "Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year" award: [[Alicia Keys]]

*'''2001'''
::First African-American [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]: [[Colin Powell]]
::First African-American president of the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]]: Rev. [[William G. Sinkford]]
::First African-American president of an [[Ivy League]] university: [[Ruth J. Simmons]] at [[Brown University]], also the first permanent female president of Brown.
::First African-American woman to win the [[American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers|ASCAP]] Pop Music Songwriter of the Year award: [[Beyoncé Knowles]]
::First African-American woman to be appointed [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]]: [[Condoleezza Rice]] (See also: 2005)
::First [[Black billionaires|African-American billionaire]]: [[Robert L. Johnson]], founder of [[Black Entertainment Television]]

*'''2002'''
::First African-American woman to win the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]: [[Halle Berry]] (''[[Monster's Ball]]'', 2001)
::First African-American [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympic]] gold medal winner: [[Vonetta Flowers]] (two-woman bobsleigh). (See also: Shani Davis, 2006)

*'''2004'''
::First African American to win [[Broadway theater]]'s [[Tony Award]] for Best Actress in a Play: [[Phylicia Rashad]]

*'''2005'''
::First African-American woman appointed [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]: [[Condoleezza Rice]] (See also: 2001)

*'''2006'''
::First African-American chairman of a [[neurosurgery]] department: Dr. [[Keith Black]] ([[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]])
::First African-American individual [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympic]] gold medal winner: [[Shani Davis]] (men's 1,000 meter speed skating) (See also: Vonetta Flowers, 2002)
::First African-American interracial [[gay]] kiss on network television: [[Taye Diggs]] and [[Eric McCormack]] in ''[[Will & Grace]]''.<ref>{{cite episode |title=I Love L. Gay | series=Will & Grace | serieslink=Will & Grace | credits=directed by [[James Burrows]]; written by Steve Gabriel | network=NBC | season=8 | number=14 | airdate=2006-02-02 |accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref>
::First African-American [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] champion: [[Franklin Lashley]], also known as Bobby Lashley
::First African American elected governor of [[Massachusetts]]: [[Deval Patrick]]
::First African American to command a [[United States Marine Corps]] division: [[Walter E. Gaskin|Walter Gaskin]]
::First African American to reach the peak of [[Mount Everest]]: [[Sophia Danenberg]]

*'''2007'''
::First African-American [[National Football League|NFL]] head coach to reach the [[Super Bowl]]: [[Lovie Smith]] ([[Chicago Bears]]), [[Super Bowl XLI]].
::First African-American [[National Football League|NFL]] head coach to win the [[Super Bowl]]: [[Tony Dungy]] ([[Indianapolis Colts]]), [[Super Bowl XLI]].
::First known African-American woman to reach the [[North Pole]]: [[Barbara Hillary (North Pole)|Barbara Hillary]]<ref>{{cite news |author=Meghan Barr |title=Cancer Survivor, 75, Skis to North Pole |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003696398_northpole07.html |work=The Seattle Times |date=6 May 2007|accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref>

*'''2008'''
::First African American to be nominated as a major-party US presidential candidate: [[Barack Obama]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
::First African American to referee a [[Super Bowl]] game: [[Mike Carey (American football)|Mike Carey]] ([[Super Bowl XLII]])
::First African-American woman elected Speaker of a [[:Category:Speakers of state lower houses in the United States|state House of Representatives]]: [[List of Speakers of the California State Assembly|California Rep.]] [[Karen Bass]]
::First African-American governor of [[New York State]]: [[David Paterson]] (elected as lieutenant governor, succeeded on resignation of previous governor)
::First African American to own a movie and TV studio: [[Tyler Perry]]
::First African-American elected [[president of the United States of America]]: [[Barack Obama]]

==See also==
* [[List of first African-American mayors]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Society-related lists|African-American firsts]]
[[Category:African Americans]]

Revision as of 15:16, 16 November 2008

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