Today we celebrate inventor William B. Purvis. On this day, Purvis received a patent for improvements on the fountain pen.

Today we celebrate the life and achievements of pioneering attorney Charlotte E. Ray, the first African American female lawyer in the United States.

Thirty one years ago today, "The Arsenio Hall Show" premiered on late night television. Arsenio Hall became the first African American late night talk show host.

Today we celebrate hall of fame boxing champion Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker

Happy New Year!

Today we commemorate President Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation which declared all slaves being held in the rebellious states as free.

Steven Russell Harts from the R&B group TROOP gives us the history behind The Delany sister's Broadway production Having Our Say, based on the experiences of Bessie and Sadie Delany's first 100 years of life.

Chief Justice Tom Colbert, the first African American to serve on the state of Oklahoma Supreme Court, was born in Oklahoma City.

Ruth Carol Taylor, the first African American flight attendant in the United States, was born in Boston Massachusetts

Lonnie Elder, the first African American to receive an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay, was born in Georgia.

Congressional Space Medal of Honor recipient, NASA astronaut Michael Philip Anderson was born.