5 Incredible Black History Facts

5 Incredible Black History Facts

5 Incredible Black History Facts 1.

The most iconic part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was improvised.

King had prepared a more political speech the night before.

In the moment, he decided to speak from his heart, coining the historic phrase, "I have a dream." 2.

A slave named Onesimus introduced vaccination to America.

In 1706, Onesimus told Cotton Mather about the inoculation traditions in Africa.

Mather then convinced Dr. Zabdiel Boylston to experiment with the idea amid a smallpox epidemic in 1721, and it turned out to be a success.

3.

One in four cowboys was Black Freed slaves decided to pick up the cowboy lifestyle at the end of the Civil War.

It's even believed that the "Lone Ranger" was inspired by an African American named Bass Reeves.

4.

The cartoon character Betty Boop was inspired by jazz singer Esther Jones Jones, known as "Baby Esther," incorporated trademark "boops" and scat sounds into her performances.

These sounds were adopted by cartoonist Max Fleischer for Betty Boop's signature "Boop Oop A Doop!" 5.

U.S. interracial marriage was banned in 1664 and not overturned until 1967 Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were arrested in Virginia after marrying in the District of Columbia.

Their case went to the Supreme Court, where the ban on interracial marriage was ruled unconstitutional.