Alice H. Parker, an African American inventor, was granted a patent for a gas-powered central heating system that used natural gas to provide warmth through individually controlled air ducts. Her invention laid the foundation for modern central heating systems and was especially innovative at a time when most homes relied on wood or coal-burning stoves. Parker’s work stands out as a significant technological contribution, especially from a Black woman during an era with limited opportunities in science and engineering.

Madame C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove in Delta, Louisiana, was born on this day. She would go on to found a successful Black hair-care business in Denver, Colorado, where she adapted French-style curling irons to better suit the texture of Black women’s hair. Walker became a trailblazing entrepreneur and is widely considered to be the first woman in the United States to become a self-made millionaire.

On this day in 1863, Robert Blake, serving as a powder boy aboard the USS Marblehead, became the first Black American awarded the Naval Medal of Honor. He was recognized “for conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the risk of his own life” during a victorious naval battle off the coast of South Carolina.

Henry Highland Garnet, a minister, abolitionist, and diplomat, was born into slavery in Kent County, Maryland. He became a prominent figure in the abolitionist movement, known for his powerful speeches advocating for the immediate end of slavery and for Black self-determination. In 1865, Garnet became the first African American to deliver a sermon in the House of Representatives.