African American Achievements
These are the first black Americans to realize pioneering achievements in their fields. With talent and determination, each one has reinvented not only what it means to be an African American, but also what it means to be an American. Our list celebrates the first African Americans to overcome the obstacles of discrimination and achieve top honors in their fields of endeavor.
First black member of the Metropolitan Opera Company, in 1955.
First black man to win a Wimbledon singles title, defeating Jimmy Connors in 1975.
First African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, in 2001 for Monster's Ball.
In October 2003, black artists held all "Billboard" Top Ten chart positions for the first time in pop history. Beyoncé was No. 1.
Composed first Broadway musical written and directed by African-Americans.
First African-American astronaut to launch into space, in 1983.
First black to receive a Pulitzer Prize, in 1950.
First African-American to win a Nobel Peace Prize, in 1950.
First black woman elected to Congress, in 1968 (from Brooklyn to 91st Congress).
First back entertainer to host his own show on national television, in 1956.
First African-American to earn a PhD in Mathematics, in 1925 (Cornell University).
First black to receive a major US government appointment, in 1877.
First black female US Poet Laureate, 1993-1995.
First Black Muslim elected to U.S Congress, in 2006 from Minnesota.
First African-American to play in the US Open, winning the tournament twice, in 1957 and 1958.
First artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one.
First black woman astronaut to launch into space, in 1992.
First African-American world heavyweight boxing champion, in 1908.
The owner of Black Entertainment Television, Johnson became the first black billionaire in 2001.
First black artist to paint an official presidential portrait (Bill Clinton).
First African-American elected to public office, in 1855 in Ohio.
First jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, in 1875. Thirteen of the 14 jockeys in the first Derby were black.
First black person to own a billion-dollar company, TLC Beatrice Lewis opened TLC Group, a venture capital firm.
First African-American appointed to the Supreme Court, in 1963.
First African-American to win an Oscar, in 1940 for Supporting Actress for Gone with the Wind.
First black graduate of the University of Mississippi, in 1963.
First black woman to serve on the U.S. Senate, in 1992 from Illinois.
First black to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1993.
First African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, 1991.
First African-American to win Oscar for best actor ("Lillies of the Field," 1963). First black nominated for Best Actor Academy Award ("The Defiant Ones," 1958). First black to star as romantic lead ("Paris Blues," 1961). First black to become number-one box office draw (1968). First black to insist on a film crew at least 50% African-American ("The Lost Man," 1969). First black to kiss a white woman on screen ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," 1967).
First black chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1989, and first black Secretary of State, in 2001.
First African-American inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, in 2000.
First black Congressman, in 1870 from South Carolina.
First black woman to win Tony Award for dramatic lead on Broadway, in 2004, role of Lena Younger in "A Raisin in the Sun."
First black member of the U.S. Senate (R-Miss), in 1870, sworn in to fill unexpired term of Jefferson Davis.
First black woman Secretary of State, in 2005.
First black major league baseball player, in 1947, and first black player elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1962.
First black mayor of a major American city, in 1967 (Cleveland).
First black NFL quarterback, in 1953.
First black college graduate, in 1823 from Middlebury College.
First black elected to the Football Hall of Fame, in 1967 (defensive back, New York Giants).
First self-made African American woman millionaire.
The first black governor elected by popular vote, 1990 (Virginia).
Founded the first black-owned hospital in America, and credited with the world's first successful heart surgery, in 1893 (Chicago).
First African-American to win the Masters golf tournament, in 1997.
First black U.S. Representative to the UN, in 1977.
In 2008, he became the first African-American attorney general designate in the United States.
First African-American to win a medal in the Olympic Games
First African-American Rhodes scholar