Black History Month: Quiz on African American history

To celebrate Black History Month, the Black History Committee offers these facts about some notable African Americans and a quiz about African American history.

Did you know?

• Van Johnson began his career at UNMC in 1956 at the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute. A pioneer in medical educational technology, Johnson worked with Cecil Wittson, MD, and Reba Benschoter, PhD, to install and operate the first psychiatric closed-circuit television in the United States.

• Freddie Powell Johnson, PhD, graduated from the University of Nebraska School of Nursing in 1952. In the 1980s, she taught courses at UNMC on medical surgical nursing, quality assurance and gerontology in the UNMC College of Nursing.

• In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher who often is referred to as the “father of Black history,” established Black History Week to focus attention on African American contributions to civilization. It wasn’t until 1976 that it turned into a monthlong celebration.

In the spirit of exploring Black history, submit answers to the following quiz here no later than 3 p.m. on Feb. 16 and be entered in a drawing for prizes donated by the UNMC Office of Inclusion. Five people will be chosen at random from among those who answer all questions correctly.

1. Who was the first African American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor?

2. This person graduated from the Omaha Medical College (forerunner to UNMC) in 1884 and became the first African American doctor in Nebraska. Who is it?

3. Who was the first African American architect in Omaha?

4. She was the first African American woman to be elected to congress. Who is she?

5. This individual was the first African American to be inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame in 1996. Who are they?

Answers and winners will be announced in the UNMC Today “For the Record” on Feb. 17