10 Things Other Than Sports, Singing & Dancing Black People Have Been Great At

Mathematics Black people were the first to develop mathematics in Africa 37,000 years ago, as it was the first method of counting. Africans in the region known as modern-day Egypt, scripted textbooks about math that included division, multiplication, algebraic equations, fractions and geometric formulas to calculate the area and volume of shapes. Source: taneter.org Business/Economics The richest man to ever live was a black man named Mansa Musa. Musa, who was an emperor of the great African empire Mali from 1312 to 1337, was one of the most influential leaders the world has ever known. Mastering commerce and trade, Musa accumulated an estimated $400 billion during his reign, according to a new inflation-adjusted list by Forbes.com, making him the richest man in the history of the world. Source: Huffington Post Education Blacks built the first universities in the world. In particular, the University of Tombouctou, also called Timbuktu, which is in Mali, was considered the oldest thriving university in the world. Students came from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and all over the world to study at Timbuktu. Source: Timbuktuheritage.org Astronomy Several ancient African cultures made discoveries in astronomy. Egyptians unfathomed the movement of the sun and constellations and the cycles of the moon long before any other region of the world. The Egyptians inspired the modern calendar. There are evidence that shows they divided the year into 12 parts and developed a yearlong calendar system containing 365 ¼ days. Source: starteachastronomy.com Writing The ancient Egyptians, a primarily black civilization, started writing in about 3500 B.C. or 5,500 years ago. The Sumerian of Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians were the first known in history to establish communication through writing. Other Asian and European cultures began writing thousands of years later. Source: omniglot.com Metallurgy and Tools The first advances in metallurgy and tool-making were made by black people all across ancient Africa. They made metal chisels, saws, copper and iron tools, weapons, nails, glue, and carbon steel and bronze weapons. Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda made advances between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago, which surpassed those of the Europeans at that time. Ancient Tanzanian furnaces could reach 1,800 degrees Celsius — 200 to 400 degrees warmer than those of the Romans. Source: asbmb.org Architecture and engineering Black people were the first to use the sciences of architecture and engineering, building some of the greatest and longest-standing structures ever seen. The Egyptians baffled the world by building more than 80 pyramids, with the largest, the Great Pyramid of Giza, covering 13 acres and made of 2.25 million blocks of stone. The Giza pyramid was built around 2580 B.C. and is still standing strong today. Source: thinkquest.org Medicine/Doctors Before the European invasion of Africa, black people had developed a medical system based on plants and herbs to cure illnesses. Egypt, Southern Africa, West Africa and parts of East Africa were more advanced in medicine than Europe at the time. They used plants with salicylic acid for pain, kaolin for diarrhea, and other extracts to kill bacteria. The achievements by doctors in ancient Egypt were incredible. Findings obtained by archaeologists have produced evidence that in 3000 B.C., the Egyptians performed successful brain surgeries. Source: thestoneage.com en.wikipedia.org Navigation Black people were the first to navigate the ocean. There is evidence that ancient Africans sailed to South America and Asia hundreds of years before Europeans. Shipbuilders in the Mali and Songhai empires built boats 100-feet long and 13-feet wide that could carry up to 80 tons of cargo. Source: asbmb.org Civilizations It is well established that black people introduced civilization to the world. Egypt is the best known example, but there are many others. Africans built powerful, wealthy and thriving empires such as Nubia, Kush, Axum, Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. In Asia, black people were instrumental in building civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Indus Kush Valley, and China. There is also evidence that the Olmecs of Mexico were significantly influenced by West African civilizations. Source: Slideshare Ancient African Civilization

Related Stories

Blacks, Hispanics Contribute the Least Toward Air Pollution — Pay the Heaviest Price

NAACP Image Awards to Televise Live From Dolby Theatre

Senate Republicans Push to Fill Judicial Seat With ‘Worst of the Litter’ Lawyer Despite Concerns from Black Lawmakers