Black History | Obscure Histories

Singing, Stars, and Quilts: The Secret Code Signals of the Underground Railroad

Those involved in the Underground Railroad had to use carefully coded signals to get enslaved people to freedom.

The Globalization of Shea Butter

Read the history of how this seed native to Western Africa has taken over the beauty world.

Ancient Gems: A Historical Survey of African Beauty Techniques

The history of many African beauty products.

Maude Callen: Nurse-Midwife provided medical care to the poorest in her community

In the mid-twentieth-century American South, Black women had limited access to medical services and maternal care. Many gave birth at...

Phillis Wheatley: A Black and enslaved poet who helped shape Revolutionary America

Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), was a Black and enslaved poet who lived in the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War. Through her...

Intrepid Arctic Explorer: Matthew A. Henson was the first Black man at the North Pole, Co-Discoverer

Icon of Arctic Explorer, Matthew A. Henson, depicting a person in a winter parka.

IRENE MORGAN

Before Rosa Parks, a Woman Refused to Give Up Her Seat In 1955, Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery,...

BRINGING HISTORY TO LIGHT