Black - African American History Facts

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, educator and pioneer heart surgeon, was born on this date in 1856. Without anesthesia, Williams performed the world's first successful open-heart surgery at Provident Hospital in Chicago, IL, in 1893-a hospital he founded.

William L. Dawson of Chicago was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Department on this date in 1949. Dawson became the first black Congressman to chair a standing Congressional Committee.

Dr. Robert Clifton Weaver was sworn in as Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs during the Johnson Administration on this date in 1966. Weaver became the first black presidential cabinet member.