Black history should be celebrated everyday. During the month of February each year, most history classes barely touch on the subject of African American history. If students do ever touch on some key points from the topic, they always celebrate the same African Americans who contributed to our freedom. You can take Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr or Harriet Tubman, for example. All of those famous figures are well known by most citizens, if not all. However, let us take a step back. What about the unknown African Americans who made history?

         Here is a fact you may not have learned. African American Edward Bouchet was born in 1852 and died in 1918. He was also the son of a former slave who happened to move to New Haven. Bouchet’s chances of getting an education were limited, but he tried his very best to make a living. He eventually was the first African American to be accepted into Yale and earn a Ph.D. and the 6th American to earn one in physics.

           Another African American made history a long time ago. The invention that he created will shock you. We all know Thomas Edison created the lightbulb. However, born in 1848, Lewis Latimer stepped up to the plate. Years after Edison created what lights our houses today, Latimer created a special kind of filament system to keep the carbon in the filament from breaking. Thanks to Latimer, lights became less expensive and many individuals have bought bulbs for their houses and rooms. There is more to African Americans than slavery, freedom and racism. They have helped to light your houses and give you a great education, too.