Do you know these impressive facts?

Black History (shareable) Facts

1) In 2004, for the first time, the U.S. Army named a vessel after an African American man. He was Major General Robert Smalls. He was born to a slave mother and a white father in Beaufort, South Carolina. As a young man, he held several jobs in Charleston, and finally began working at the docks and eventually learned to be a seaman, and how to drive a ship.

To read more on Robert Smalls and his political and military background go to: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/robert-smalls

2) Blood Bank – Do you know that Dr. Charles Richard Drew was the brains that pioneered the idea of a blood bank? Dr. Drew was an American medical doctor and surgeon who started the idea of a blood bank and a system for the long term preservation of blood plasma (he found that plasma kept longer than whole blood). His ideas revolutionized the medical profession and saved many, many lives. He set up and operated the blood plasma bank at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, NY. Drew’s project was the model for the Red Cross’ system of blood banks, of which he became the first director.

To read more on Dr. Charles R. Drew go to: Charles Drew - Life, Family & Inventions - Biography

3) Potato Chips -were invented in 1853 by George Crum. Crum was a Native American/African American chef at the Moon Lake Lodge resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. French fries were popular at the restaurant and one day a diner complained that the fries were too thick. Although Crum made a thinner batch, the customer was still unsatisfied. Hoping to annoy the extremely fussy customer, Crum finally made fries that were too thin to eat with a fork. Surprisingly enough the customer was happy – and potato chips were invented!

To read more on George Crum go to:

The Story of George Crum, Inventor of the Potato Chip (thoughtco.com)