Black History Month originated in 1926 by Carter Godwin Woodson as Negro History Week. The month of February was chosen in honor of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, who were both born in that month.

Cathay Williams was the first and only female Buffalo Solider. She was born into slavery and worked for the Union army during the Civil War. She posed as a man and enlisted as Williams Cathay in the 38th infantry in 1866. She was given medical discharge in 1868.

George Monroe and William Robinson are thought to be the first black Pony Express riders. At one point Monroe was a stagecoach driver for President Ulysses S. Grant and would navigate through the curving Wanona trail in the Yosemite Valley. Monroe meadows in Yosemite national Park is named for George Monroe.