All too often, Black history has been overlooked, minimized or - even worse - erased. Yet the contributions of Black people to society influence every part of how we live, from the art and culture we consume to the rights we have.
During Black History Month in February, here are 11 fascinating historical facts to share with your kids from the new book "Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies."
© DKBook cover for
1. One of the greatest African rulers of all time, Mansa Musa (1280-1337) led the Mali Empire at the height of its power and creativity. He directly controlled the price of gold, and he has been described as the richest person in human history.
2. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895), the first Black woman in the United States to qualify as a doctor, opened her own medical clinic in Boston and dedicated herself to treating women and children who lived in poverty. She treated patients regardless of their ability to pay and often took no money for her work.
3. During the U.S. Civil War, more than 178,000 Black soldiers served across 175 regiments, making up 10% of the Union Army's soldiers and representing the key to the Union's victory.
© Minnesota Historical SocietyA Black soldier in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War (Minnesota Historical Society / Corbis via Getty Images)
4. Though they were forbidden from signing up officially, a large number of Black women served as scouts, nurses and spies in the Civil War.
5. A teenager named Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat for a white woman in 1955, inspiring Rosa Parks to do the same nine months later and sparking one of the biggest civil rights campaigns of all time.
© Dudley M. BrooksCivil Rights Trailblazer Claudette Colvin (Dudley M. Brooks / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
6. Businesswoman Annie Turnbo Malone (1869-1957) became one of the first Black millionaires. Malone set up the Poro Company, which produced popular hair and beauty products for the Black community. She hired the young Sarah Breedlove (1867-1919) as one of her door-to-door sales agents and inspired Breedlove to build her own multi-million-dollar beauty brand.
7. Acclaimed writer and poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014) had another noteworthy distinction: In 1944, she became the first female Black cable car conductor in San Francisco.
© Michael Ochs ArchivesMaya Angelou (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)
8. Civil rights activist and campaigner Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987) helped to found nearly 1,000 citizenship schools, which contributed to helping Blacks register to vote.
9. Described as a "forgotten pioneer," Althea Gibson (1927-2003) was the first Black tennis player to win a tennis Grand Slam in 1956. She won 11 Grand Slam tournaments over the course of her career.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesTennis - Wimbledon Championships - Ladies' Singles - Final - Althea Gibson v Angela Mortimer (PA Images via Getty Images)
10. Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) invented and patented the carbon filament, which allowed lightbulbs to last longer than they did with the paper filament used in Thomas Edison's design. (Latimer eventually went on to work for the Edison Electric Light Company.)
11. The ironing board (invented by Sarah Boone), the traffic light system (invented by Garrett Morgan), and the home security system (invented Marie Van Brittan Brown) all came down to us from Black inventors.
Mireille Harper contributed to the book "Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies." Information from the book was excerpted with permission from DK.
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