James Durham, First Black Physician
James Durham is considered the first African American to practice medicine in America—first in Philadelphia and then in New Orleans while it was still under Spanish rule. Durham was born …
Entrepreneurs & Inventors
The Crusaders Who Campaigned for Car Safety
Car seat belts are a safety measure that most people take for granted. While compliance is at an all-time high—90 percent of front seat passengers use their seatbelts—car crashes are …
Father of American Christmas Card, Louis Prang
Today some Christmas cards are sent by email, but many cards are still mailed through the U.S. postal service. The tradition gives us all a pleasant way to keep in …
Wonder Bread: The Most Famous White Bread
Wonder Bread was first made by the Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis. It was a factory-made bread, but the Taggart family had been making bread the “old-fashioned way” for fifty …
The Story of Parking Meters
The first parking meters in the United States went into use in Oklahoma City in 1935. The city grew rapidly in the early 20th century. In 1913, the city had …
The Invention of Sunscreen
In the 1930’s and 1940’s, sunscreen was being developed independently but simultaneously by at least four different chemists in various parts of the world: The first-to-market was likely H.A. Milton …
