Key Figures and Milestones in History
Major Achievements of Influential People
Dr. Charles Drew
- Separated blood into cells and plasma, revolutionizing blood banks and transfusion techniques.
- Trained Black surgeons.
Lise Meitner
- First female professor of physics in Germany.
- Contributed to the discovery of nuclear fission, explaining how uranium atoms split when bombarded with neutrons.
Katherine Johnson
- Helped launch the first American in space and supported John Glenn’s orbital mission.
- Developed navigation equations for spaceflight return trajectories.
Sylvia Rivera
- Fought for LGBTQ+ rights and was an advocate for trans inclusion in the gay rights movement.
Carlos Finlay
- First to propose that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes.
- Developed effective mosquito control measures.
Mary Anning
- Discovered the first complete Ichthyosaurus skeleton.
- Her work supported the theory of extinction.
Hermann von Helmholtz
- Formulated the law of conservation of energy.
- Studied the mechanical causes of sound production, including vocal sound.
Niels Bohr
- Developed the Bohr model of the atom.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (1922).
- Contributed to the Manhattan Project.
Ida B. Wells
- Published groundbreaking works exposing lynching in America.
- Co-founded the first Black women’s suffrage (the right of voting) group.
Irena Sendler
- Social worker at the Warsaw Health Department during Nazi occupation.
- Founder of the Żegota Children’s Section, saving Jewish children during the Holocaust.
Josephine Baker
- African American singer and performer.
- Broke racial barriers by performing for integrated audiences of French and American troops.
- Served as a spy of the French Resistance during World War II.
James Lovelock
- Developed the electron capture detector.
- Formulated the Gaia hypothesis, proposing Earth as a self-regulating system.
- Prominent figure in environmentalism.
Henrietta Lacks
- Her cells (HeLa cells) were the first to be immortalized, revolutionizing medical research.
- HeLa cells contributed to the development of the polio vaccine and cancer research advancements.
Bessie Coleman
- First African American and Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license.
- Conducted the first public flight by an African American woman in the United States.
Wangari Maathai
- Founded the Green Belt Movement, helping women plant over 50 million trees in Kenya.
- First African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (2004).
- Recognized globally for her contributions to environmental sustainability and women’s empowerment.
Key Historical Movements and Innovations
Civil Rights Movement
Change: Ended legal segregation, promoted racial equality.
Milestone: Led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Key Figure: Martin Luther King Jr., advocate of nonviolent protest.
The Beatles
Change: Transformed popular music and social attitudes.
Milestone: Redefined the music industry.
Key Figure: John Lennon, cultural icon and band member.
Feminist Movements
Change: Advanced women’s rights in work, education, and health.
Milestone: Influenced laws like the Equal Pay Act.
Key Figure: Gloria Steinem, journalist and activist.
Internet
Change: Revolutionized communication and business.
Milestone: Enabled the digital economy and global information access.
Key Figure: Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.
Television
Change: Shaped mass culture and information distribution.
Milestone: Transformed public perception of global events (e.g., moon landing).
Key Figure: Walter Cronkite, Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena.
Social Media Platforms
Change: Democratized information and communication.
Milestone: Enabled global social mobilization.
Key Figure: Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook.
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Change: Signaled the end of the Cold War and German reunification.
Milestone: Shifted Eastern Europe towards democracy.
Key Figure: Mikhail Gorbachev, whose policies of openness facilitated the wall’s fall.
Music
Change: Served as a vehicle for protest and cultural expression.
Milestone: Gave voice to social movements.
Key Figure: Bob Dylan, singer-songwriter of civil rights anthems.
Modernism
Change: Challenged traditional art, literature, and thought.
Milestone: Influenced contemporary artistic perceptions.
Key Figure: Virginia Woolf, innovator in narrative style and consciousness exploration.
Milestone
Synonyms: Turning point, landmark
- Definition: A significant event in one’s life, marking the start of a new chapter.