29 Black History facts you probably didn't learn in school

Ernest Crim III is your instructor for this 29-lesson course as CBS 2 celebrates Black History Month.  

Connect with Mr. Crim on TikTok and Twitter! 

Lesson 1: Kemet

Ancient Egyptians called their land "Kemet"--or Black Land. The first person to practice medicine was from Kemet, along with the first dentist! 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 1

Lesson 2: Shotgun homes and front porches

The shotgun home and front porch design originated in West Africa in what is now Nigeria. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 2

Lesson 3: Walls of Benin

The Walls of Benin were four times longer than the Great Wall of China. So, what happened to them? 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 3

Lesson 4: University of Sankore

One of the first universities in the world was located in Mali. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 4

Lesson 5: 1526

The year 1619 is known as the year that Blacks were first enslaved in America. What about the year 1526?

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 5

Lesson 6: Freedom by any means

How braided hair, Gospel music, and drums played a role in the liberation of Blacks. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 6

Lesson 7: Benjamin Banneker

Meet the man who helped design Washington, D.C.,  and that's not all. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 7

Lesson 8: Queen Nanny of the Maroons

She was like Harriet Tubman, but she freed slaves someplace else. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 8

Lesson 9: Henry "Box" Brown

Learn more about how Henry Brown got his nickname. It's incredible. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 9

Lesson 10: Henrietta Bowers

Learn how this undertaker used her background to free Black slaves. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 10

Lesson 11: John Berry Meachum

Learn more about the "Floating Freedom School" and why Meachum had to put it on a boat. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 11

Lesson 12: Lewis Latimer

How Louis Latimer made one of Thomas Edison's famous inventions better. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 12

Lesson 13: Granville T. Woods

How modern wireless technology can be traced back to Granville Woods in the 1800s. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 13

Lesson 14: Oscar Micheaux

The man who paved the way for today's great Black filmmakers. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 14

Lesson 15: Marie Van Brittan Brown

Those Ring cameras are everywhere. It basically started with Marie Van Brittan Brown's invention in the 1960s.

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 15

Lesson 16: Alice Parker

Meet the woman behind central heating.

29 Black History facts you probably didn't learn in school - Day 16

Lesson 17: Safe Bus Company

13 men pooled their savings to start a company to provide transit for Blacks in the South.

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 17

Lesson 18: Soul City

A state-of-the-art town was created in the 1970s.

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 18

Lesson 19: Robert Johnson

The founder of Black Entertainment Television. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 19

Lesson 20: Douglas Wilder 

The first Black governor in the United States. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 20

Lesson 21: Mae Jemison

The pride of Morgan Park High School, she was the first Black woman in space

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 21

 Lesson 22: Marian Croak 

Have you ever been on a Zoom?  Marian Croak invented the technology. 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 22

Lesson 23: Million Marches 

The movement behind the Million Man and Million Woman marches

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 23

Lesson 24: Hadiyah Green

She cured cancer -- with lasers

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 24

Lesson 25: DuSable

Meet the founder of Chicago, who made a fortune here

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 25

Lesson 26: John Jones

Chicago's first Black public official, and a conductor of the Underground Railroad

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 26


Lesson 27: Daniel Hale Williams

The pioneer of open heart surgery   

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 27





Lesson 28: Pullman Porters  

Driving force behind Black migration 

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 28










Lesson 29: Carol Moseley Braun

First Black woman elected to U.S. Senate

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Lesson 29

Bonus Lesson: Dr. Margaret Taylor Burroughs

Founder of DuSable Museum

29 Black History Facts You Probably Didn't Learn at School: Bonus Lesson
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