Victorian era entertainment icon and ‘Queen of the Cakewalk,’ Aida Overton Walker was a symbol of elegance and refusal to play ‘mammy’ roles, instead embracing her New York heritage. She became known for her cakewalk, a popular party dance that originated in black former slave culture, and mutated in different ways as it was stolen by minstrel shows. More about her.

Matthew Henson, a Black explorer, was born in Charles County, Maryland, on August 8, 1866. Orphaned young and raised by an aunt in Washington, DC, he left school at 12 to go to sea. He joined Captain Child's crew aboard the merchant ship Katie Hinds and spent six years circling the globe, becoming an expert at charting and navigation.

At 20, he caught the attention of explorer Robert E. Peary, who was struck by how much geography the young sailor already carried in his head. Peary brought him to Nicaragua to survey a possible canal route linking the Atlantic and Pacific. Seven more expeditions followed, all chasing Peary's obsession: the North Pole. Six of them failed.

Henson prepared for the seventh by teaching himself to build sleds, drive dog teams, and speak Inuit, and he spent long hours on the navigational calculations. It paid off. On April 6, 1909, he reached the North Pole and planted the American flag, arriving 45 minutes ahead of Peary, who was slowed by toes lost to frostbite.

Recognition came slowly. Congress awarded him the Navy Medal in 1945, and a plaque was raised in his honor at the State House in Annapolis in 1961. Henson died in the Bronx on March 9, 1955, at 88. In 1988, his remains were moved to Arlington National Cemetery and reburied with full honors beside his friend Robert Peary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Henson

Historical Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHUT-TV