8 Scientists You Should Learn About This Black History Month

Black History Month is the perfect time to honor the Black Americans of the past and present who have done (and are still doing) amazing things for our country. When it comes to celebrating individuals that are especially of note, it's hard not to focus on the Black scientists who contributed so much to the advancement of medicine, technology, and even space travel, especially when you consider just how much more they had to overcome to get the educations needed to get them into these careers.

That's why we're taking a look back at eight incredible Black scientists this Black History Month, offering up a little bit about what they accomplished during their lifetimes.

And while it's quite hard to narrow this list down to just eight notable names, you're likely to going agree that these folks were truly exceptional in their field.

Nigerian born Wendy A. Okola's success as a scientist would've been notable even without the fact that she was the first Black woman to earn an aerospace engineering PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington. She chas also been a published author and an associate project manager with NASA's Intelligent Systems Division, according to NASA's website.

Credited with building the first clock ever created on U.S. soil, according to the University of Waterloo, Benjamin Banneker was an astronomer and mathematician born in 1731. Aside from his timekeeping skills, he was able to correctly predict the solar eclipse of 1789, and helped to work as a surveyor when the original boundaries were being drawn for Washington D.C.

A Frederick C. Greenwood Award winner, Dr. James Hildreth is known for being one of the country's leading authorities on infectious diseases. This led to him being asked to serve on President Biden's Health Equity Taskforce in 2021, according to Meharry Medical College, where he serves as president and CEO.

If you watched Hidden Figures, you likely already know the story of Mary Jackson. The NASA engineer held the honor of being the first Black female engineer hired by the organization. The pioneer was even posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for her work, according to NASA.

Inspired by Sally Ride, Mae Jemison applied to NASA's astronaut program after receiving a degree in African American Studies and Chemical Engineering. According to the National Women's History Museum, she went on to become the first Black woman in space in 1992.

The Science History Institute credits Percy Lavon Julian with figuring out how to find an affordable way to mass produce certain plant compounds that could be used to create medicines, like steroids. Sometimes called the "soybean" chemist, Julian eventually founded his own company, and served on several boards dedicated to helping others.

If you received your COVID-19 vaccination from Moderna, you can thank Kizzmekia "Kizzy" Corbett for the honor. She helped develop the vaccine in 2020. Since then, she has been working on developing more universal flu vaccines as well as educating people about the safety and importance of vaccines, according to the American Society for Microbiology.

Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the late Otis Boykin is known for making the resistor technologies that are still used in homes and businesses around the world today. Considering he was born way back in 1920, it's pretty incredible that he was able to crack the code for creating the tech that continues to make most of our favorite gadgets work — including televisions, radios, and computers.