1. Black History Month began as "Negro History Week" in 1926 and was created by Carter G. Woodson. It became a month long celebration in 1976.

2. The month of February was chosen to coincide with Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

3. On February 1st, 1865 the 13th amendment to abolish slavery was signed.

4. On February 2nd, 1990 the South African president, F.W. de Klerk, announced that the ban against the African National Congress and several other parties would be lifted and that Nelson Mandela would be released from prison.

5. Jack Johnson became the first African American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title in 1908, he carried the title all the way until 1915.

6. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court. He was appointed by President Johnson, and served on the court from 1967-1991.

7. The black population of the U.S. in 1870 was 4.8 million; In 2007, the number of black residents in the U.S. (including those of more than one race) was 40.7 million.

8. In 1992, Dr. Mae Johnson was the first African American woman to go into space aboard the space shuttle Endeavor.

9. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech to around 250,000 civil rights marchers gathered around the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Many parts of this speech were improvised, as the original speech was more political and did not include any reference to dreams. Onstage, near Dr. King singer Mahalia Jackson reportedly kept saying "tell em' about the dream, Martin!"

10. As most people think of Rosa Parks as the first African American woman to give up her seat on the bus, there were actually several more women before her. On March 2nd, 1955, fifteen year old, Claudette Colvin refused to move to the back of the bus. Arrested, and thrown in jail, she was one of the four women who challenged the segregation law in court.

11. The United States isn't the only country to celebrate Black History Month, Canada also observes it in February, while the UK recognizes it in October.

12. The NAACP was founded in 1909 and is now considered "The nation's oldest, largest, and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization" according to it's website.

13. The 114th Congress, the current one, is the most diverse ever. Forty-six House and Senate members are black, according to the Pew Research Center.

14. Autherine Lucy became the first African American to desegregate the University of Alabama in 1956, despite many violent threats from rioting white mobs.

15. Captain Gail Harris fought racism and sexism and became the Navy's first African American AND female intelligence officer.