Did you know that these were the first African American to:
Robert L. Johnson (1946 - ), founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) is the first African-American billionaire.

Diahann Carroll (1935 - ) was the first African-American woman to have her own television series, "Julia" in 1968. It was a controversial, yet Nielsen top ten rated show about a single working mother raising her child .

Ralph J. Bunche (1904 - 1971), a politician and a U.N. diplomat, was the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace prize in 1950 for mediating the Arab-Israeli truce.

Debi Thomas (1967 - ), the talented figure-skater, is the first African American to win a medal (bronze) at the Winter Olympic games (1988). In 2002 Vonetta Flowers (1973 - ) became the first African-American to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympic games.

Nathaniel Adams Cole “Nat King Cole” (1919 - 1965), a singer, song writer and pianist, was the first African-American to host a national television program, The Nat King Cole Show, in 1956.

Maurice Ashley ( 1966 - ) is the first and only African-American to be crowned International Grand Master of chess in 1999. He opened the Harlem Chess Center in 1999, where he coaches young chess players.

Charley Pride (1938 - ) is one of the most successful African-American country singers of all time, with a career spanning over 40 years and 36 number one hits. He is also the first African-American to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Pride was a baseball player with the Negro League and the Memphis Red Sox before becoming a successful musician.