Late 20th Century

  • Castillo de San Marcos

    Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest stone fortress in the United States. Built in 1672, its name changed three times over the centuries.   Fun Facts Castillo de San Marcos was built to protect the city of St. Augustine, Florida, which was part of the Spanish Empire at the…


  • Palace of the Governors

    When you think of the oldest buildings in America, you might think of New England, but one of the oldest buildings in the country is actually in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Fun Facts The Palace of the Governors was built in 1610 by Pedro de Peralta, the governor of the…


  • Dolores Huerta

    Dolores Huerta

    For more than 50 years, Dolores Huerta has worked to improve the lives of children, women, and farm workers. She believes that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Fun Facts Dolores was born in 1930 in New Mexico. Her parents divorced when she was three and…


  • Sandra Day O’Connor

    Sandra Day O’Connor

    Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Before she was a lawyer and judge though, she was a rough-riding cowgirl, capable of shooting rabbits for a meal. Fun Facts Sandra Day O’Connor was born in 1930 in El Paso, Texas. She grew up on…


  • Sally Ride

    Sally Ride

    Sally Ride was the first female American astronaut in space. She was also a competitive tennis player. Fun Facts Sally Ride was born in 1951 in Los Angeles. Her parents were both Presbyterian ministers. Her mother volunteered at a correctional facility and her father taught political science at Santa Monica…


  • Oprah Winfrey

    Oprah Winfrey

    Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful television personalities of all time. But her life began very humbly. Fun Facts Oprah was born in 1954 in Mississippi. Her mother was a maid and her father was a coal miner and a barber. Oprah’s mother was just a teenager when…


  • Venus and Serena Williams

    Venus and Serena Williams

    Two sisters dreamed of becoming tennis stars and made that dream come true through hard work and perseverance. Fun Facts Venus Williams was born on June 17, 1980. Serena was born a year later on September 26, 1981. Their father had always enjoyed watching tennis on television. He wanted to…


  • Martin Luther King Jr.

    Martin Luther King Jr.

    After Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, things started to change. There was an energy and a movement among African Americans, especially young adults. They gathered together to protest the Jim Crow laws that kept blacks and whites segregated. First, four black students in Greensboro,…


  • Maya Angelou

    Maya Angelou

    One of America’s most beloved writers and poets, Maya Angelou made many other contributions too. Fun Facts Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928. When she was three (and her brother, four), her parents’ marriage ended. Her father sent the two children alone on a train to…


  • James Earl Jones

    James Earl Jones

    James Earl Jones is a famous African American actor known for his deep, booming voice. You might know him as Darth Vader or Mufasa, but his story began long before his film career. Fun Facts James Earl Jones was born in 1931 in Arkabutia, Mississippi. Life was tough for African…