Wiki History: Black Explorers 1

10/30/14 • 10 min

The African American Explorers 1

October 13th was Columbus Day in the United States. He is celebrated for his explorations to/around India in the 15th century. Today, we know that he didn’t actually make the trip to India and we don’t want to discuss what he did in the Americas, but there is no denying that Christopher Columbus was an explorer.

Of course, there have been (and still are) many people who show the courage to leave their own shore in search of distant lands. We hear their shories of courage (and sometimes conquest) in history classes and on the Discovery Channel or PBS. But we don’t often learn about African American explorers and their burning desire to explore strange new lands and go boldly where no one has gone before.

This podcast will introduce you to African American explorers and show you that while the world is getting smaller and smaller, the adventures and explorations are getting greater and bolder. The boundaries are endless. The only limit is your imagination, your courage, and your willingness to test your personal limits.

What is your limit? How far are you willing to go for glory?

These stories will show that exploration is not about finding gold or other riches (many explorers, including Columbus, have forgotten that golden rule.) Exploration is a test of your limits and transcending them. And that’s about more than finding new lands...it applies to any new activity like taking a new job or following a new career, getting an education or going back to school, learning a new language or studying a new subject, moving to a new city or country and evening learning more about yourself.

The people in this podcast series on African American explorers challenged themselves and more. They went beyond their perceived limits and ultimately expanded their life, their worlds, and themselves. And this continued long after they “returned home” from their journey.

If you’re up to the challenge, let’s begin our journey with an African American man who endured many obstacles and hardships simply to reach a pole: The North Pole!

Matthew Henson: The First Man to Sit on Top of the World!

Born in Maryland in1866, Matthew Henson was an explorer (in every sense of the word) and so we begin our discussion of Black explorers with this incredible—though sometimes forgotten African American—pioneer.

Henson had what one could call a challenging childhood. He was orphaned when he was only 10 years old. Relatives then took care of him and his sisters. At age 11, he ran away from home and went to live with his aunt in Washington, D.C. There, he would listen to stories about the sea from his friend, Baltimore Jack, and eventually he started walking to Baltimore to hang around the waterfront to talk with the other sailors.

A year later, at the tender of 12, he became a cabin boy on a merchant ship called the Katie Hines and sailed around the world. By the age of 18, he had traveled to China, Japan, Philippines, France, Russia, and Africa. He was a skilled navigator, an experienced sailor, and very well traveled. But his adventures were just beginning.

In 1887, Matthew Henson met Commander Robert Peary (is that name familiar?). This team would make history. Peary hired Henson to travel with him to Nicaragua to survey a canal route. Four years later, Henson and Peary prepared for their first attempt to reach the North Pole. It failed. However, seven was their lucky number. On their 7th attempt, they finally reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909. Yes, it took Henson nearly 20 years to reach the North Pole! That’s determination and Henson had plenty of it.

He was the first person to reach the North Pole!

But it took more than determination and the burning vision that Henson had set on reaching the North Pole. His experience, skill, and hard work all played a huge role in his success. While preparing for reaching the North Pole, Henson learned the Inuit language. He learned their culture. And he learned Arctic survival skills, including building igloos, hunting, and sled driving. He was prepared and primed to reach the North Pole. Henson also personally trained every member of the team, including Peary himself.

Of course, interesting and conflicting theories have been reported about the race to the North Pole.

For example, while many people credit Robert Peary with reaching the North Pole first, there are stories that Matthew Henson was the first to reach the Pole, beating Peary to the Pole by 45 minutes. Henson blazed the trail ahead of Peary, whose toes were frozen and was being pulled on the sled.

Others claim that Robert Peary (and also Matthew Henson) never actually reached the North Pole in 1909. Over the years, this achievement has been confirmed by some sources and denied by others.

And many people only acknowledged Robert Peary for reaching the North Pole. Because of ...

The African American Explorers 1

What is your limit? How far are you willing to go for glory?

If you’re up to the challenge, let’s begin our journey with an African American man who endured many obstacles and hardships simply to reach a pole: The North Pole!

Matthew Henson: The First Man to Sit on Top of the World!

He was the first person to reach the North Pole!

Of course, interesting and conflicting theories have been reported about the race to the North Pole.

Others claim that Robert Peary (and also Matthew Henson) never actually reached the North Pole in 1909. Over the years, this achievement has been confirmed by some sources and denied by others.

And many people only acknowledged Robert Peary for reaching the North Pole. Because of ...

Previous Episode

Wiki History Intro Lecture: History is Power!

The Importance of African American history: Believe in fairy tales!

Hi and welcome to the Wiki History lecture series called History is Power! Produced by robinlofton.com where history is power. Today, we begin our 5-minute lecture series about the importance of knowing African American history. We begin by asking why is history important? Great question. Perhaps the answer can be found in this famous journal entry, which says,

Next time I go to a movie and see a picture of a little ordinary girl become a great star, I’ll believe it.

And whenever I hear someone read fairy tales to my little boy, I’ll listen.

I know that dreams do come true.

I know because I am now playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the big leagues!

I always dreamed about playing for the Dodgers, but honestly, I always had my doubts. I used to tell myself: “Something will happen. It just isn’t in the books for you to play in the majors. You’re a Negro. Negroes haven’t been in the big leagues. Some day they will be. But you won’t be the lucky guy.

Can you guess who wrote this entry? Jackie Robinson. In 1947--following his first major league game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson was the first Black person to play major league baseball. He made history. And he went on to win the leagues MVP award in 1949. During his career, he would play in 6 World Series. He concluded this entry by saying,

Being up here is absolutely wonderful. That’s why I’m a believer in fairy tales now. You see, it actually happened to me!

It was said that Jackie Robinson endured more racial insults and threats of violence than anyone in history. But we know that Jackie Robinson made history. And history is power.

We can learn a lot from history—and that can empower us, too. We’ll hear about many African Americans that made great accomplishments. We will learn that they faced lots of obstacles, problems, and rejections. And most importantly we will learn that they still made history. You see, just like Jackie Robinson said: fairy tales are real. They happened to him. And they can happen to you, too.

But we need to know the African Americans who came before us; what happened before us—the successes, the defeats, the victories and the challenges. We need to know the African Americans who helped to build the United States and, indeed, who helped to shape the world. Some names will be unfamiliar from the past: Dr. Carter G. Woodson who wrote the Negro National Anthem (yes, we have one!) and who founded Black History Month. Ida B. Wells who fought against the horrible (but at-the-time accepted) practice of lynching. And, of course, the mathematical genius, Benjamin Banneker, who made great discoveries in astronomy and developed theories about relativity. Did I mention that Benjamin Banneker was born in 1731, a descendant of slaves?

And, like Jackie Robinson, the road was not easy yet they endured. Others did too. There was James McCune Smith, who moved to Scotland to earn his medical degree because no American universities would accept a Black man. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1837 becoming the first African American to receive a medical degree. Dr. Smith then returned to the U.S. where he had a distinguished medical career in private practice, opened two pharmacies, and trained young doctors.

And there is Marcelite Harris who is the first Black woman to become a brigadier general in the US Air Force. However, she had to apply three times before her application for training was accepted.

And did you know that Michael Jordan was cut from the basketball team in his sophomore year?!

You see; nothing came easy for any of them. But these people were not afraid to be first. Or to stand out. Or even to stand alone. They weren’t afraid to fail. They never gave up. Neither should we.

We can learn a lot from them. We can begin by asking ourselves:

What was it like to be alive during their time?
What it was like to walk in their shoes?
What motivated them?
What were they afraid of?
What didn’t they know?

But remember that history is not just the study of the past. It is interesting because nobody ever lived in the past. People have only lived in the present. Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Harriet Tubman didn’t think of themselves as living in the past. They were living in the present. The difference is that it was their present. They were caught up in the living moment exactly as we are today. They didn’t know how things would turn out. Neither do we. Jackie Robinson didn’t know what would happen when he joined the Dodgers and stepped on the field that day. Dr. Smith did not know what would happen when he moved to Scotland to study medicine. But we can use their stories and strength (their fairy tales) to be empo...

Next Episode

Wiki History: Black Explorers 2

Black Explorers Part II

Welcome back to robinlofton.com for another Wiki History lecture. Today is the second lecture about black explorers. In the first Wiki history lecture, we discussed Matthew Henson, who was the first person to reach the North Pole. While there is some dispute about this, we recognized that Henson made incredible contributions as a navigator, ocean surveyor, and explorer. There is a lot more to know about this great man and his explorations so I encourage you to listen to the first Wiki History lecture and to read his book, A Negro in the North Pole, which you can find on robinlofton.com.

In today’s wiki lecture, we will discuss explorations that are out of this world! These black explorers went longer and farther than many people ever dream of going. They are great examples of why we are studying explorers. We can learn so much from them. They had a grand vision and never-ending determination. They worked hard and never gave up. Remember it took 20 years and numerous failed attempts for Matthew Henson to reach the North Pole. But he eventually made it. And that’s what we can learn from these explorers.

Let’s get started with today’s great Black explorers.

Today’s explorers won’t go north or south. Today, they go up!

We begin with Guion Bluford, who on August 30, 1983, was the first African American astronaut to make a space flight. But let’s back up for a minute. Dr. Bluford was born in Philadelphia in 1942. He earned his pilot’s license when he was just 24. Then he went on to earn his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1978. He also joined NASA in 1978. And made his maiden voyage in space was just 5 years later. He operated the remote manipulator system, Spacelab-3 experiments, shuttle systems, and the flight systems lab. During his career, Dr. Bluford made numerous space flights and spent a total of 688 hours in space before his retirement from NASA in 1993.

Other African Americans also dedicated themselves to space flight and exploration.

Frederick Gregory was the first Black person to actually command a space shuttle mission. In 1985, he served as a pilot on Challenger for a 7-day mission. Commander Gregory joined NASA shortly after receiving his masters degree in information systems. In 1989, he was given command of the Discovery mission, which orbited the Earth 79 times in 120 hours. In total, he commanded 3 major space missions and spent over 450 hours in space. By the end of his career, he reached the rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force.

In 1987, Mae Jemison was the first black woman astronaut and the first Black woman to fly in space. She was the science mission specialist on the historic 8-day mission on the Endeavor space shuttle. By her retirement from NASA, Dr. Jamison logged in 190 hours in space. Her educational background is as varied as it is impressive having graduated from Stanford University with a degree in both chemical engineering and African American studies. She also earned a doctorate degree from Cornell University and worked as a staff doctor for the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. Today, Dr. Jamison owns a private firm, called the Jamison Group, and teaches at Dartmouth University.

Coming out of the shuttle, Bernard Harris, Jr. became the first black astronaut to actually walk in space. He walked in space for 5 hours and logged in more than 230 hours in space. He was also a medical doctor and trained as a flight surgeon. After leaving NASA, he founded the Harris Group, which is a Texas-based organization that works to empower individuals, in particular minorities and other economically and/or socially disadvantaged, to recognize their potential and pursue their dreams. Dr. Harris first became interested in being an astronaut watching the Apollo 11 mission on TV in 1969. Twenty years—and lots of hard work and determination later—he was asked to join NASA. By the end of his career, he logged more than 4,164,183 miles in space.

Finally, and sadly, in 1986, Ronald McNair became the first black astronaut killed during a space mission. He was aboard the ill-fated Challenger when it exploded shortly after liftoff. Dr. McNair was an extraordinary explorer who was born in South Carolina and able to read and write by the age of three. At the age of four, he successfully challenged the whites-only borrowing privileges at the local library. In 1976, he received a scholarship to MIT where he graduated magna cum laude with a doctorate in physics. He was invited to join NASA in 1978. Dr. McNair is remembered as having encouraged and supported young black engineers and scientists in the aerospace program. In his short life, he was an extraordinary student, physicist, and astronaut.

He once said, "Whether or not you reach your goals in life depends entirely on how well you prepar...