Boston's black medical community thrived in the mid-19th century
Boston's remarkable black medical community dates back to before the Civil War. During the 1850s, two black doctors of note resided in the city. The first, Dr. John V. DeGrasse, earned his medical degree with honors from Bowdoin College in 1849. In 1854, he became the first African American to be admitted to the Massachusetts Medical Society. Later, DeGrasse was appointed head surgeon in the Union Army. More »
Black elders log on for computer fun, jobs
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Monsanto YMCA is a place where elders get up in the morning. It has the largest population of participating African American seniors of any YMCA in the country. Walk into the gym and a 92-year-old African American woman is leading a chair aerobics class to a high-energy rhythm faster than you'll hear in most regular aerobics classes. She doesn't skip a beat. Walk into the coffee room and almost every seat has been taken by women playing cards or chatting about their classes. More »
'Futurity' spotlights a mythical peace machine
Charles Babbage conceived the prototype of the first computer in the 1830's and called it an "analytical engine." The British polymath envisioned such artificial intelligence executing instructions and storing memory. More »
