The Official Black History Month Thread!

[Memphis Slim]

Well boys and girls, it's that time again!! Let's reflect on the accomplishments and contributions of black people to this great country. We got the shortest month on the calendar. So let's make the best of it. t:


CARTER GODWIN WOODSON
"FATHER OF BLACK HISTORY

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.​

These are the words of Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, distinguished Black author, editor, publisher, and historian (December 1875 - April 1950). Carter G. Woodson believed that Blacks should know their past in order to participate intelligently in the affairs in our country. He strongly believed that Black history - which others have tried so diligently to erase - is a firm foundation for young Black Americans to build on in order to become productive citizens of our society.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Known as the "Father of Black History," Carter G. Woodson holds an outstanding position in early 20th century American history. Woodson authored numerous scholarly books on the positive contributions of Blacks to the development of America. He also published many magazine articles analyzing the contributions and role of Black Americans. He reached out to schools and the general public through the establishment of several key organizations and founded Negro History Week (precursor to Black History Month). His message was that Blacks should be proud of their heritage and that other Americans should also understand it.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Carter G. Woodson was born in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia, to former slaves Anne Eliza (Riddle) and James Henry Woodson. Although his parents could neither read nor write, Carter G. Woodson credits his father for influencing the course of his life. His father, he later wrote, insisted that "learning to accept insult, to compromise on principle, to mislead your fellow man, or to betray your people, is to lose your soul."[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]His father supported the family on his earnings as a carpenter. As one of a large and poor family, young Carter G. Woodson was brought up without the "ordinary comforts of life." He was not able to attend school during much of its five-month term because helping on the farm took priority over a formal education. Determined not to be defeated by this setback, Carter was able "largely by self-instruction to master the fundamentals of common school subjects by the time he was seventeen." Ambitious for more education, Carter and his brother Robert Henry moved to Huntington, West Virginia, where they hoped to attend the Douglass High School. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]However, Carter was forced to earn his living as a miner in Fayette County coal fields and was able to devote only a few months each year to his schooling. In 1895, a twenty-year-old Carter entered Douglass High School, where he received his diploma in less than two years.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]From 1897 to 1900, Carter G. Woodson began teaching in Winona, Fayette County. In 1900, he returned to Huntington to become the principal of Douglass H.S.; he finally received his Bachelor of Literature degree from Berea College, Kentucky. From 1903 to 1907, he was a school supervisor in the Philippines. Later he traveled throughout Europe and Asia and studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris. In 1908, he received his M.A. from the University of Chicago, and in 1912, he received his Ph.D. in history from Harvard University.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]During his lifetime, Dr. Woodson developed an important philosophy of history. History, he insisted, was not the mere gathering of facts. The object of historical study is to arrive at a reasonable interpretation of the facts. History is more than political and military records of peoples and nations. It must include some description of the social conditions of the period being studied.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Woodson's work endures in the institutions and activities he founded and promoted. In 1915, he and several friends in Chicago established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. The following year, the Journal of Negro History appeared, one of the oldest learned journals in the United States. In 1926, he developed Negro History Week and in 1937 published the first issue of the Negro History Bulletin.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dr. Woodson often said that he hoped the time would come when Negro History Week would be unnecessary; when all Americans would willingly recognize the contributions of Black Americans as a legitimate and integral part of the history of this country. Dr. Woodson's outstanding historical research influenced others to carry on his work. Among these have been such noted historians as John Hope Franklin, Charles Wesley, and Benjamin Quarles. Whether it's called Black history, Negro history, Afro-American history, or African American history, his philosophy has made the study of Black history a legitimate and acceptable area of intellectual inquiry. Dr. Woodson's concept has given a profound sense of dignity to all Black Americans.[/FONT]
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[Memphis Slim]

BESSIE COLEMAN

No limits could deter first black female pilot
For Bessie Coleman, the first black woman to receive her international pilot’s license, persistence brought her to her dream.
Born Jan. 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Ga., Coleman grew up picking cotton in Waxahachie, Texas. Raised by her mother alone, she and her brothers and sisters had to work in the cotton fields.
But when it was off season, Coleman went to school. She was good in math and got a job working the accounts of a cotton plantation. Coleman saved enough money to go to college.
Coleman enrolled in Langston Industrial College for African-Americans and trained to be a teacher. But then the money ran out, and she moved on to Chicago to be near two of her brothers.
It was just after the end of World War I and everywhere everyone was talking about the great aviators of the war and their amazing planes. Coleman longed to become a pilot.
The first roadblock she ran into was flying schools didn’t admit African-Americans, only whites. Coleman. persisted and word of her determination reached the editor of the Chicago Defender newspaper. He paid for Coleman to go to flying school in France.
Soon Coleman had her pilot’s license, and she became the first black woman to receive her international pilot’s license. She returned to the United States, but there wasn't much work for women pilots. So Coleman tried barnstorming, performing stunts at air shows. She became known as "Brave Bessie."
Many times, she had to fight prejudice. Once at a show in Orlando, Fla., the organizers wouldn't allow African-Americans to see the show. Coleman refused to perform unless this was changed. The organizers gave in.
Her persistence became an inspiration to pilots. Her memory is honored each year on Memorial Day by African-American pilots as they fly over her grave in formation and drop flowers.
— By Lizabeth Gray

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sojourner_Truth_2.jpg

 

[Handsome Rob]

Major Taylor

The following is from Wikipedia:

Marshall Walter ("Major") Taylor (November 26, 1878–June 21, 1932) was an American cyclist who won the world one-mile track cycling championship in 1899, 1900, and 1901.

Taylor was the second black world champion in any sport, after boxer George Dixon. The Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Indiana and a bicycle trail in Chicago are named in his honor. On July 24, 2006 the city of Worcester, Massachusetts changed the name of part of Worcester Center Boulevard to Major Taylor Boulevard. His memory is honored not only for his athletic feats, but for his character. Taylor was a devout Christian who would not race on Sundays for much of his career, making his success all the more remarkable.

Taylor was born to a large family on a farm in rural Indiana to parents Gilbert Taylor and Saphronia Kelter, who had migrated from Louisville, Kentucky. He began as an entertainer at the age of thirteen. He was hired to perform cycling stunts outside a bicycle shop while wearing a soldier's uniform, which resulted in the nickname "Major".

As an African-American, Taylor was banned from bicycle racing in Indiana once he started winning and made a reputation as "The Colored Cyclone". In 1896, he moved from Indianapolis to Middletown, Connecticut, then a center of the United States bicycle industry with half a dozen factories and thirty bicycle shops, to work as a bicycle mechanic in the Worcester Cycle Manufacturing Company factory, owned by Birdie Munger who was to become his lifelong friend and mentor, and race for Munger's team. His first east coast race was in a League of American Wheelmen one mile race in New Haven, where he started in last place but won. In late 1896, Taylor entered his first professional race in Madison Square Garden, where he lapped the entire field during the half-mile race. Although he is listed in the Middletown town directory in 1896, it is not known how long he still resided there after he became a professional racer. He eventually settled in Worcester, Massachusetts (where his nickname was naturally altered to "The Worcester Whirlwind"), marrying there and having a daughter, although his career required him to spend a large amount of time traveling, in America, Australia, and Europe.

Although he was greatly celebrated abroad, particularly in France, Taylor's career was still held back by racism, particularly in the Southern states where he was not permitted to compete against Caucasians. The League of American Wheelmen also excluded blacks from membership. During his career he had ice water thrown at him during races and nails scattered in front of his wheels, and was often boxed in by other riders, preventing the sprints to the front of the pack at which he was so successful. In his autobiography, he reports actually being tackled on the race track by another rider, who choked him into unconsciousness but received only a $50 fine as punishment. Nevertheless, he does not dwell on such events in the book; rather it is evident that he means it to serve as an inspiration to other African-Americans trying to overcome similar treatment. Taylor retired at age 32 in 1910, saying he was tired of the racism. His advice to African-American youths wishing to emulate him was that while bicycle racing was the appropriate route to success for him, he would not recommend it in general; and that individuals must find their own best talent.

 

[Damiean Dark]

Im not American but its good to see that these people are not forgotten even if it is only for one month a year.

 

[Memphis Slim]

THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.

 

[Manic]

In the Soul Glo Lounge thread, we organized an avatar switch for February, to reflect Black History Month. I'm not sure how many of us are participating.

I chose Dred Scott, the slave famous for suing the government for his freedom. Sadly, the courts found that black slaves didn't count as American citizens, and thus threw his case out. However, he had the courage to do what no one else would. He reached for his freedom, and tried to play the law at its own game. He failed, but his case helped light the fire that would cause the Civil War.

In the end, his owner sold him back to his original owners, who had since moved to a free state. Dred Scott died a free man.

 

[SoulManX]

Alexandre Dumas, père

Alexandre Dumas, père (French for "father", akin to Senior in English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870) was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, and The Man in the Iron Mask were serialized, and he also wrote plays and magazine articles and was a prolific correspondent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Dumas,_père

 

[terry78]

Bessie Coleman definitely deserves a film. And not the default Halle Berry.

 

[Captain Planet!]

Where I live they play "Celebrate Black History Month" commercials from Feburaury thru October.

 

[Obi-Ron]

I chose Dred Scott, the slave famous for suing the government for his freedom. Sadly, the courts found that black slaves didn't count as American citizens, and thus threw his case out. However, he had the courage to do what no one else would. He reached for his freedom, and tried to play the law at its own game. He failed, but his case helped light the fire that would cause the Civil War.

A good choice.

 

[terry78]

Where I live they play "Celebrate Black History Month" commercials from Feburaury thru October.

Good. They need to do it here.

 

[Memphis Slim]

Bessie Coleman definitely deserves a film. And not the default Halle Berry.

Man...I agree 100 percent!

I have some great choices to play her.

Kimberly Elise

Sanaa Latham

Gabreille Union

 

[Memphis Slim]

Henry Brown
[SIZE=-1]Henry Brown patented a "receptacle for storing and preserving papers on November 2, 1886" This was a fire and accident safe container made of forged metal, which could be sealed with a lock and key. It was special in that it kept the papers separated. Perhaps an early forerunner to the filofax?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Below you can view the patent issued to Henry Brown.[/SIZE]

___________________________________________________________


[SIZE=+1]Bessie Blount[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-2]Related History and More on Bessie Blount[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-2]By Mary Bellis[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Bessie Blount, was a physical therapist who worked with soldiers injured in W.W.II. Bessie Blount's war service inspired her to patent a device, in 1951, that allowed amputees to feed themselves.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]The electrical device allowed a tube to deliver one mouthful of food at a time to a patient in a wheelchair or in a bed whenever he or she bit down on the tube. She later invented a portable receptacle support that was a simpler and smaller version of the same, designed to be worn around a patient's neck.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Bessie Blount was born in Hickory, Virginia in 1914. She moved from Virginia to New Jersey where she studied to be a physical therapist at the Panzar College of Physical Education and at Union Junior College and then furthered her training as a physical therapist in Chicago.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]In 1951, Bessie Blount started teaching Physical Therapy at the Bronx Hospital in New York. She was unable to successfully market her valuable inventions and found no support from United States Veteran's Administration, so she gave the patent rights to the French government in 1952. The French government put the device to good use helping to make life better for many war vets.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]"a black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind" - Bessie Blount[/SIZE]

 

[Golgo-13]

Good thread bro.

 

[Manic]

Not that I'm prepared to play the victim, or that I'm an overall cynical person, but...


Before anyone asks, the reason there's a Black History Month is because history is filled with numerous black men and women who made great contributions to society. However, their contributions are typically overlooked, and have been historically disregarded & ignored simply because old racist white historians saw no need to tell anyone a black man or woman accomplished anything great. To remedy this, Black History Month was created to shine a light on these great men and women. It's not about getting special treatment. It's about recognizing accomplishments in history that are often ignored.

I mean, would anyone have heard of Lewis Latimer otherwise?

 

[terry78]

^No, but people then come with "why do they need their own month?" Personally I would prefer each one got their own day, but then you'd hear crying about that.

 

[Memphis Slim]

Not that I'm prepared to play the victim, or that I'm an overall cynical person, but...


Before anyone asks, the reason there's a Black History Month is because history is filled with numerous black men and women who made great contributions to society. However, their contributions are typically overlooked, and have been historically disregarded & ignored simply because old racist white historians saw no need to tell anyone a black man or woman accomplished anything great. To remedy this, Black History Month was created to shine a light on these great men and women. It's not about getting special treatment. It's about recognizing accomplishments in history that are often ignored.

I mean, would anyone have heard of Lewis Latimer otherwise?

Yeah....but if they read the Carter Woodson post, they'd have the answer to that question.

Hey...post up something on Latimer for us.

 

[Memphis Slim]

Good thread bro.

Thanks!

 

[Manic]

From Black Inventory Online on Lewis Latimer
http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/lewislatimer.html

In 1880, after moving to Bridgeport, Connecticut, Latimer was hired as the assistant manager and draftsman for U.S. Electric Lighting Company owned by Hiram Maxim. Maxim was the chief rival to Thomas Edison, the man who invented the electric light bulb. The light was composed of a glass bulb which surrounded a carbon wire filament, generally made of bamboo, paper or thread. When the filament was burned inside of the bulb (which contained almost no air), it became so hot that it actually glowed. Thus by passing electricity into the bulb, Edison had been able to cause the glowing bright light to emanate within a room. Before this time most lighting was delivered either through candles or through gas lamps or kerosene lanterns. Maxim greatly desired to improve on Edison's light bulb and focused on the main weakness of Edison's bulb - their short life span (generally only a few days.) Latimer set out to make a longer lasting bulb.

Latimer devised a way of encasing the filament within an cardboard envelope which prevented the carbon from breaking and thereby provided a much longer life to the bulb and hence made the bulbs less expensive and more efficient. This enabled electric lighting to be installed within homes and throughout streets

Latimer applied for a patent for the "Process of Manufacturing Carbons" and it was granted in January 1882. Because he was working at the time for US Electric Lighting Company, he was forced to assign the patent to the company, and thus lost out on the enormous financial rewards which would result. Around this time, Latimer, along with Joseph V. Nichols received a patent for an improved incandescent lamp which utilized a more efficient way of connecting the carbon filament to the lead wires at the lamp base. Hiram Maxim named this invention the "Maxim Electric Lamp."

Latimer abilities in electric lighting became well known and soon he was sought after to continue to improve on incandescent lighting as well as arc lighting. Eventually, as more major cities began wiring their streets for electric lighting, Latimer was dispatched to lead the planning team. He helped to install the first electric plants in Philadelphia, New York City and Montreal and oversaw the installation of lighting in railroad stations, government building and major thoroughfares in Canada, New England and London.

In 1890, Latimer, having been hired by Thomas Edison, began working in the legal department of Edison Electric Light Company, serving as the chief draftsman and patent expert. In this capacity he drafted drawings and documents related to Edison patents, inspected plants in search of infringers of Edison's patents, conducted patent searches and testified in court proceeding on Edison's behalf. Later that year wrote the worlds most thorough book on electric lighting, "Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System." Lewis was named one of the charter members of the Edison pioneer, a distinguished group of people deemed responsible for creating the electrical industry. The Edison Electric Lighting would eventually evolve into what is now known as the General Electric Company.

Latimer continued to display his creative talents over then next several years. In 1894 he created a safety elevator, a vast improvement on existing elevators. He next received a patent for Locking Racks for Hats, Coats, and Umbrellas. The device was used in restaurants, hotels and office buildings, holding items securely and allowing owners of items to keep the from getting misplaced or accidentally taken by others. He next created a improved version of a Book Supporter, used to keep books neatly arranged on shelves.

Latimer next devised a method of making rooms more sanitary and climate controlled. He termed his device an Apparatus for Cooling and Disinfecting. The device worked wonders in hospitals, preventing dust and particles from circulating within patient rooms and public areas.

Throughout the rest of his life, Latimer continued to try to devise ways of improving everyday living for the public, eventually working in efforts to improve the civil rights of Black citizens within the United States. He also painted portraits and wrote poetry and music for friends and family.


Lewis Latimer died on December 11, 1928 and left behind a legacy of achievement and leadership that much of the world owes thanks.

 

[Memphis Slim]

Thanks!

 

[Memphis Slim]

Dr. Benjamin Solomon Carson (born September 18, 1951) is a noted American neurosurgeon. He became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital when he was 33 years old.



Carson was born in inner city Detroit, Michigan, and has one younger brother Curtis. His mother Sonya Carson had high expectations for her sons despite her third grade education and the fact she married at the age of thirteen. Benjamin's parents divorced when he was eight years old.
Sonya was determined to turn around her sons' lives. She limited their television viewing and only let them play outside when all of their school work was done. She also made them read two books a week and then write book reports on what they had read, even though she couldn't understand most of it due to her poor education.

One day when Carson's teacher brought in a sample rock, Benjamin recognized it and amazed his classmates, causing them to realize that he wasn't as dumb as they once believed. In a year's time he was the star pupil of his class. With his newfound thirst for knowledge he studied hard in all subjects. Carson later developed an interest in psychology, and he graduated from high school with honors.

Carson then attended Yale University where he earned a degree in Psychology. From there he went to the University of Michigan Medical School. There, his interest shifted from psychology to neurosurgery, and after medical school he went to work at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. At age 33, he became the hospital's Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

In 1987, Carson made medical history with an operation to separate a pair of Siamese twins. The Binder twins were joined at the back of the head. Previous operations had failed, kill both twins or only saving one. After 22 hours of surgery with a staff of seventy on hand, Carson's operation was successful.

In 1997, he traveled to South Africa where he led a 50-member team in the successful separation of 11-month-old Zambian twin boys, Joseph and Luka Banda, joined at the head. The twins did not share any organs but did share intricate blood vessels which flowed into each child's brain. According to Carson, he had performed surgical rehearsals with a computerized, 3-D virtual workbench that allowed him to visualize artificial reconstructions of the twins' brains. The operation lasted 22 hours before successfully concluding.

In June 2002, Carson was diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of prostate cancer. Six weeks later he underwent successful surgery to remove the cancer. He took an active role in the medical and recovery process, asking his medical team questions and examining his own X-rays and scans. Since the surgery there have been no complications, and he did not need to undergo chemotherapy or other radiation treatment.
In 2003, Carson was a member of the surgical team which worked to separate conjoined siblings Ladan and Laleh Bijani. When they asked why he had performed such a risky surgery, he said that he had heard them say that they would rather die than stay conjoined.

Carson has received numerous honors and awards including more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the American Academy of Achievement, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and many other prestigious organizations. He sits on many boards including the Board of Directors of Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Yale Corporation (the governing body of Yale University), and America's Promise. He is also the president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. Carson did a cameo in the 2003 movie Stuck on You (starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) where he dons a surgeon mask to separate the conjoined twins.
Carson was appointed to the President's Council on Bioethics by George W. Bush in 2004.

In addition to being a surgeon, Carson is also a writer who has authored three bestsellers: Gifted Hands, The Big Picture, and Think Big. The first book is an autobiography, and the latter two are about his personal philosophies of success that incorporate hard work and a faith in God. Ben Carson is a Seventh-day Adventist, and an outspoken Christian.
Carson has been married to Candy Carson for twenty-five years and has three sons. He also has a middle school named after him, Benjamin S. Carson Honors Preparatory Middle School.

For the 2006 PBS program African American Lives, Carson, along with other notable African Americans such as Oprah Winfrey and comedian Chris Tucker, had his DNA tested to discover his original African ancestry. The genetic test determined that some of his ancestors originated from the Lunda ethnic group, who are currently located in Angola, Congo, and Zambia.
Dr. Carson has also had success with Trigeminal neuralgia. Using Radio frequency and Glycerine Rhizotomy he has saved many lives from this painful disease noted as "the suicide disease" due to the level of pain.

 

[Memphis Slim]

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
By Mary Bellis
[SIZE=-1]It is rare to find a man of the caliber of George Washington Carver. A man who would decline an invitation to work for a salary of more than $100,000 a year (almost a million today) to continue his research on behalf of his countrymen.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Agricultural chemist, Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were his recipes and improvements to/for: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Three patents were issued to Carver.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]George Washington Carver was born in 1864 near Diamond Grove, Missouri on the farm of Moses Carver. He was born into difficult and changing times near the end of the Civil War. The infant George and his mother kidnapped by Confederate night-raiders and possibly sent away to Arkansas. Moses Carver found and reclaimed George after the war but his mother had disappeared forever. The identity of Carver's father remains unknown, although he believed his father was a slave from a neighboring farm. Moses and Susan Carver reared George and his brother as their own children. It was on the Moses' farm where George first fell in love with nature, where he earned the nickname 'The Plant Doctor' and collected in earnest all manner of rocks and plants.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]He began his formal education at the age of twelve, which required him to leave the home of his adopted parents. Schools segregated by race at that time with no school available for black students near Carver's home. He moved to Newton County in southwest Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand and studied in a one-room schoolhouse. He went on to attend Minneapolis High School in Kansas. College entrance was a struggle, again because of racial barriers. At the age of thirty, Carver gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he was the first black student. Carver had to study piano and art and the college did not offer science classes. Intent on a science career, he later transferred to Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1891, where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897. Carver became a member of the faculty of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanics (the first black faculty member for Iowa College), teaching classes about soil conservation and chemurgy.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]In 1897, Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes, convinced Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture. Carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943. (Read the pamphlet - Help For Hard Times - written by Carver and forwarded by Booker T. Washington as an example of the educational material provided to farmers by Carver.)[/SIZE]

At Tuskegee Carver developed his crop rotation method, which revolutionized southern agriculture. He educated the farmers to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as; peanuts, peas, soybeans, sweet potato, and pecans. America's economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture during this era making Carver's achievements very significant. Decades of growing only cotton and tobacco had depleted the soils of the southern area of the United States of America. The economy of the farming south had been devastated by years of civil war and the fact that the cotton and tobacco plantations could no longer (ab)use slave labor. Carver convinced the southern farmers to follow his suggestions and helped the region to recover.
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Carver also worked at developing industrial applications from agricultural crops. During World War I, he found a way to replace the textile dyes formerly imported from Europe. He produced dyes of 500 different shades of dye and he was responsible for the invention in 1927 of a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans. For that he received three separate patents:[/SIZE]

• <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in">[SIZE=-1]U.S. 1,522,176 Cosmetics and Producing the Same. January 6, 1925. George W. Carver. Tuskegee, Alabama.[/SIZE] <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in">[SIZE=-1]U.S. 1,541,478 Paint and Stain and Producing the Same June 9, 1925. George W. Carver. Tuskegee, Alabama.[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]U.S. 1,632,365 Producing Paints and Stains. June 14, 1927. George W. Carver. Tuskegee, Alabama.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Carver did not patent or profit from most of his products. He freely gave his discoveries to mankind. Most important was the fact that he changed the South from being a one-crop land of cotton, to being multi-crop farmlands, with farmers having hundreds of profitable uses for their new crops. "God gave them to me." he would say about his ideas, "How can I sell them to someone else?" In 1940, Carver donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee, for continuing research in agriculture.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]George Washington Carver was bestowed an honorary doctorate from Simpson College in 1928. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in London, England. In 1923, he received the Spingarn Medal given every year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1939, he received the Roosevelt medal for restoring southern agriculture. On July 14, 1943, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt honored Carver with a national monument dedicated to his accomplishments. The area of Carver's childhood near Diamond Grove, Missouri preserved as a park, this park was the first designated national monument to an African American in the United States.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]"He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." - Epitaph on the grave of George Washington Carver.[/SIZE]

 

[Darthphere]

Dr. Benjamin Solomon Carson (born September 18, 1951) is a noted American neurosurgeon. He became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital when he was 33 years old.



Carson was born in inner city Detroit, Michigan, and has one younger brother Curtis. His mother Sonya Carson had high expectations for her sons despite her third grade education and the fact she married at the age of thirteen. Benjamin's parents divorced when he was eight years old.
Sonya was determined to turn around her sons' lives. She limited their television viewing and only let them play outside when all of their school work was done. She also made them read two books a week and then write book reports on what they had read, even though she couldn't understand most of it due to her poor education.

One day when Carson's teacher brought in a sample rock, Benjamin recognized it and amazed his classmates, causing them to realize that he wasn't as dumb as they once believed. In a year's time he was the star pupil of his class. With his newfound thirst for knowledge he studied hard in all subjects. Carson later developed an interest in psychology, and he graduated from high school with honors.

Carson then attended Yale University where he earned a degree in Psychology. From there he went to the University of Michigan Medical School. There, his interest shifted from psychology to neurosurgery, and after medical school he went to work at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. At age 33, he became the hospital's Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

In 1987, Carson made medical history with an operation to separate a pair of Siamese twins. The Binder twins were joined at the back of the head. Previous operations had failed, kill both twins or only saving one. After 22 hours of surgery with a staff of seventy on hand, Carson's operation was successful.

In 1997, he traveled to South Africa where he led a 50-member team in the successful separation of 11-month-old Zambian twin boys, Joseph and Luka Banda, joined at the head. The twins did not share any organs but did share intricate blood vessels which flowed into each child's brain. According to Carson, he had performed surgical rehearsals with a computerized, 3-D virtual workbench that allowed him to visualize artificial reconstructions of the twins' brains. The operation lasted 22 hours before successfully concluding.

In June 2002, Carson was diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of prostate cancer. Six weeks later he underwent successful surgery to remove the cancer. He took an active role in the medical and recovery process, asking his medical team questions and examining his own X-rays and scans. Since the surgery there have been no complications, and he did not need to undergo chemotherapy or other radiation treatment.
In 2003, Carson was a member of the surgical team which worked to separate conjoined siblings Ladan and Laleh Bijani. When they asked why he had performed such a risky surgery, he said that he had heard them say that they would rather die than stay conjoined.

Carson has received numerous honors and awards including more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the American Academy of Achievement, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and many other prestigious organizations. He sits on many boards including the Board of Directors of Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Yale Corporation (the governing body of Yale University), and America's Promise. He is also the president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. Carson did a cameo in the 2003 movie Stuck on You (starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) where he dons a surgeon mask to separate the conjoined twins.
Carson was appointed to the President's Council on Bioethics by George W. Bush in 2004.

In addition to being a surgeon, Carson is also a writer who has authored three bestsellers: Gifted Hands, The Big Picture, and Think Big. The first book is an autobiography, and the latter two are about his personal philosophies of success that incorporate hard work and a faith in God. Ben Carson is a Seventh-day Adventist, and an outspoken Christian.
Carson has been married to Candy Carson for twenty-five years and has three sons. He also has a middle school named after him, Benjamin S. Carson Honors Preparatory Middle School.

For the 2006 PBS program African American Lives, Carson, along with other notable African Americans such as Oprah Winfrey and comedian Chris Tucker, had his DNA tested to discover his original African ancestry. The genetic test determined that some of his ancestors originated from the Lunda ethnic group, who are currently located in Angola, Congo, and Zambia.
Dr. Carson has also had success with Trigeminal neuralgia. Using Radio frequency and Glycerine Rhizotomy he has saved many lives from this painful disease noted as "the suicide disease" due to the level of pain.

His autobiography is good.

 

[Mee]

Yay black people!

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Meh. Nevermind.