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Benjamin Banneker was born Nov. 9, 1731, and died Oct. 9, 1806. His parents were free Blacks living near Baltimore. He was an astronomer, scientist, inventor, abolitionist and farmer.
Banneker was self-educated, with handed-down textbooks as his resources. His white grandmother taught him how to read at an early age before attending a small Quaker school for a brief time.
Sushi Monster
A 2010 report by The New York Times revealed that only 12 percent of Black boys in the eighth grade were proficient in math compared to more than 40 percent of their white counterparts. A Harvard researcher explained that there are often major “racial differences” in the foundation that Black students have when compared to white students, especially in the area of math. Sushi Monster can help change that by giving Black students exposure to math at an early stage and disguising it as nothing more than a fun game. The free app from Scholastic helps students practice addition and multiplication skills. The app earned an impressive four-star rating after more than 800 users weighed in on the app’s effectiveness. While many parents admitted that the app was challenging, which is essentially the point of the app, they also said they noticed an improvement in their child’s overall understanding of and interest in math.
Science360
Getting students interested in science is a major part of the battle to help them excel in the subject. For schools with more sufficient funding, science fairs, field trips and other school-funded activities help get students interested and engaged in science in a way that helps them understand the concepts they learn in the classroom. For underprivileged schools that can’t offer those same experiences, Science360 can be a huge plus. The National Science Foundation’s app makes the most out of fascinating photos, intriguing videos and other digital content to show students just how interesting science can be. With a news feed that updates students on scientific news, they are also able to see their course lessons reflected in real world discussions in the science community.
Fancred
Fancred just might be the most important app for some fans. Before, during and after the game, social media will be jam-packed with trash talking, cheering, embarrassing GIFs and hilarious memes — we all know how quickly Black Twitter works with these things. If you’re on the losing end of the game, you might not appreciate all the jokes until you have some time to give yourself a pep talk. Fancred will allow you to log online and chat it up with other fans who were rooting for your team while avoiding all the people who have come away feeling victorious. Fancred will also pull in photos, news stories and other digital content about your team and keep you safely tucked away from anymore bad news.
Super Bowl XLIX Digital Game Program
This is the perfect app for diehard football fans and football newcomers alike. It essentially helps boost the Super Bowl Sunday experience by giving users access to the official game program, recaps of the current season, exclusive video clips and more. So for the avid watcher, it’s a nice trip down memory lane to remember all the moments that led up to the Patriots vs. Seahawks showdown. For those who didn’t really keep up with the season, it’s a great way to get some quickie football knowledge before and during the game.
Claudia Mitchell
In 2006, Mitchell became the first woman to be given a bionic arm after a horrific motorcycle accident. The limb is connected to her nervous system, and it allows her to control the arm with her mind.
Nigel Ackland
After losing part of his arm in a work-related accident, Ackland got a cybernetic upgrade. His new arm is reminiscent of Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget.
EyeLock Myris
The myris is a USB-enabled iris authentication device that can connect to anything with a USB port. Users can access their personal information without the use of passwords and user names. One look is all it takes to verify your identity.
Lima Data Storage (2 TB)
The Lima Data Storage device has reinvented the way your devices store data. You can install it at home, on your smartphone, computer and tablet, and the device will display the same files, wherever you are, regardless of the device size.
Benjamin Banneker (Nov. 9, 1731 – Oct. 9, 1806)
Banneker was an astronomer, mathematician and author who constructed America’s first functional clock. In the early days of the U.S., Banneker was a prominent abolitionist working with Thomas Jefferson on improving the lives of Black people in this nation. He was also one of the few people to help survey the borders of Washington, D.C.
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (Jan. 18, 1858 – Aug. 4, 1931)
Williams performed the first prototype open-heart surgery. He also was the second surgeon to perform a pericardium surgery to repair a wound. In 1891, he created one of the first non-segregated hospitals in the U.S. He called it Provident Hospital and it was located in Chicago.
Evolution
Evolution does not cause something to go from “lower” to a “higher” stage of development. In many cases, organisms can evolve without any major improvements. Some examples of this are fungi, sharks, crayfish and mosses. These organisms have all remained virtually the same over a great period of time.
The Hottest Planet in Our Solar System
Even though Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, Venus is really the hottest. The surface temperature of Venus is so hot it can melt lead. The temperature at the surface is 740 K (467 degrees Celsius or 872 degrees Fahrenheit).
Mancala
Mancala is one of the oldest games in the world, and it’s still being played today. Pits have been found carved into the roofs of ancient Egyptian tombs in Luxor and Thebes. The name means “to transfer” in Arabic. Small stones or seeds were used in its earlier days, but now marbles are more commonly used for the game.
The Space Elevator
There was once a time when having the first man step foot on the moon was a daunting task and one that many people thought was certainly impossible. Now that several men and women have boldly gone where so few have ever gone before, engineers have their sights set on the future — an elevator to space. LiftPort Group, headed by former NASA researcher Michael Laine, said it could build an elevator to the moon using technology that is already available. With another Japan-based company making the same claim, one can only wonder if the next great space race will be a race to build the first elevator into outer space.
Orbital Maglev
This transit system literally takes other public transportation out of this world. It would essentially be a rail system in space and allow riders to travel freely from outer space back to Earth. With the idea of “space tourism” becoming a hot trend for researchers, the idea is an interesting one. Based on today’s technology, however, it will be quite some time before the expensive project is ever brought to life.
