John Punch
John Punch (born 1605) was an enslaved African who lived in the colony of Virginia. Thought to have been an indentured servant, Punch attempted to escape to Maryland and was…
Juan Valiente
Juan Valiente (1505? – 1553, Tucapel) was a Spanish black conquistador who participated in the expeditions of Pedro de Almagro in present-day Guatemala and Chile. Taken into captivity as a…
Casta
Casta (Spanish: ) is a term which means “lineage” in Spanish and Portuguese and has historically been used as a racial and social identifier. In the context of the Spanish…
Juan José Nieto Gil
Juan José Nieto Gil (24 June 1804 – 16 July 1866) was a Colombian politician, Army general and writer. A Liberal party caudillo of Cartagena, he served interimly as Governor…
William Tucker (Virginia colony)
William Tucker (born 1624) was born to two of the first Africans in Virginia who landed in Jamestown Colony before his birth. He was the first African American that was…
Ruby McCollum
Ruby McCollum, born Ruby Jackson (August 31, 1909 – May 23, 1992), was a wealthy married African-American woman in Live Oak, Florida, who is known for being arrested and convicted…
Paul Cuffe
Paul Cuffe, also known as Paul Cuffee (January 17, 1759 – September 7, 1817) was an African American businessman, whaler and abolitionist. Born free into a multiracial family on Cuttyhunk…
Lanny Smoot
Lanny Smoot (born c. 1955) is an American electrical engineer, inventor, scientist, and theatrical technology creator. With over 100 patents, he is Disney’s most prolific inventor and one of the…
Richard Harvey Cain
Richard Harvey Cain (April 12, 1825 – January 18, 1887) was an American minister, abolitionist, and United States Representative from South Carolina from 1873 to 1875 and 1877 to 1879.…
Daniel Hale Williams
Daniel Hale Williams American physician Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jan 14, 2024 • Article History Daniel Hale Williams (born January 18, 1858, Hollidaysburg,…