Henry McNeal Turner is remembered mostly as one of the first Bishops in the African American Episcopal Church, yet his occupations were many. He was an army chaplain, political organizer magazine editor, college chancellor and preacher. He worked with Georgia politicians with hopes to make life for 19th century Georgia a better place for Blacks. During his political career Turner introduced bills for higher education for Blacks and for the creation of a Black militia to protect Black people from the Klu Klux Klan. He also introduced a bill to give women the right to vote. Henry McNeal Turner should also be remembered as an agitator and a prophet who addressed the hopes and frustrations of African-Americans struggling in the 19th century.

Granville T. Woods

In 1888, Granville T. Woods developed a system for overhead electric conducting lines for railroads, which aided in the development of the overhead railroad system found in cities such as Chicago, St. Louis, and New York City. In his early thirties, he became interested in thermal power and steam-driven engines. And, in 1889, he filed his first patent for an improved steam-boiler furnace. In 1892, a complete Electric Railway System was operated at Coney Island, NY. In 1887 Granville made the most important invention of his time—he patented the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, which allowed communications between train stations from moving trains. His invention made it possible for trains to communicate with the station and with other trains so they knew exactly where they were at all times. He is sometimes referred to as the "Black Thomas Edison."

William Alexander Leidesdorff

William Alexander Leidesdorff (1810-1848) was an in fluential figure in the history of San Francisco and the state of California. He was one of the most enterprising businessmen in the Bay Area. Leidesdorff built and owned San Francisco's first hotel and operated the first steamship to pass through the Golden Gate area. As a civic and educational leader he established the city's first public school and served as city treasurer. In 1846 he aided General Fremont and his rebels in their settlement of northern California. His Mexican citizenship allowed him to purchase 35,000 acres of land. Leidesdorff Street, a five block long alleyway in the city's financial district, pays tribute to the California pioneer.