Mae C. Jemison. The first black woman to become a U.S. astronaut, she flew into space as a member of the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992.
Toni Morrison. In 1983, she became the first black woman novelist to win a Pulitzer Prize, which was awarded to her for her novel Beloved; in 1993, Morrison became the first African American to win the Nobel Prize in literature.
Robert C. Maynard. He bought the Oakland Tribune in 1983 for $22 million, becoming the first black owner of a major mainstream daily newspaper.
Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls superstar won his sixth consecutive National Basketball Association scoring title in 1992; by the end of the 1996-97 season, he had won the scoring title nine times in all.
Tiger Woods. In 1997, this twenty-one-year-old became the youngest person, and the first person of African descent, to win the Masters golf championship.
