Black History TRIVIA
(answers may be found at bottom of page)
- Who was the first African American appointed to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice?
A. Thelton Henderson
B. Thurgood Marshall
C. Clarence Thomas
D. Matthew J. Perry
2. Who was the first African American woman to win five Grammy Awards in one night (the year was 1999)?
A: Lauryn Hill
B: Beyonce
C: Aretha Franklin
D: Mariah Carey
3. Who was the first African-American woman elected to Congress (1968), representing New York’s 12th congressional district for seven terms from 1969 to 1983?
A.) Mary Kenner
B.) Naomi Gray
C.) Shirley Chisholm
D.) Mae C. Jemison
4. Who was the first black woman — and the first woman in general — to ever be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
A. Tina Turner
B. Aretha Franklin
C. Diana Ross
D. Billy Holiday
5. Who was the first Black American to host a TV show?
A. Nat King Cole
B. Sidney Poitier
C. Oprah Winfrey
D. Steve Harvey
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1. Answer: Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court and served from 1967 to 1991.
2. Answer: Lauryn Hill * Note: Beyonce surpassed Hill with a 6-Grammy win night in 2009. Beyonce currently has 22.
3. Answer: Shirley Chisholm * Note: Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author. In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York’s 12th congressional district for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In the 1972, she became the first African-American candidate for a major party’s nomination for President, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
4. Answer: Aretha Franklin *Note: In 1987, Aretha Franklin made history as the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She broke ground for generations of female artists — more specifically, female African American artists. Of the 55 other legendary female performers who have followed in her footsteps — as solo acts or girl groups or band members — more than half have been African American.
5. Answer: Nat King Cole *Note: The Nat King Cole Show debuted in 1956, making singer and jazz pianist Nat “King” Cole the first Black man to host a nationally televised variety program.