Are you looking for fun and insightful riddles that celebrate Black history? You’re in the right place!
This collection of Black History riddles is designed to entertain, educate, and inspire.
Whether you’re sharing them with family, friends, or classmates, these riddles will spark curiosity about the incredible people and events that shaped Black history. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
Riddles About Famous Black Leaders
- ✊ Who was known as the “King of Civil Rights”?
Answer: Martin Luther King Jr. - 🏆 Who was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - 📚 Who wrote “The Souls of Black Folk”?
Answer: W.E.B. Du Bois - 🏅 Who became the first African American president of the United States?
Answer: Barack Obama - 💼 Who was the first African American woman to run for president?
Answer: Shirley Chisholm - 🎤 Who gave the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963?
Answer: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - ⚖️ Who was the first African American Supreme Court Justice?
Answer: Thurgood Marshall - 🥇 Who was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal?
Answer: DeHart Hubbard - 💪 Who was known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”?
Answer: Rosa Parks - 🎓 Who became the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard?
Answer: Dr. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander
Riddles About Black Inventors
- 💡 Who invented the traffic light?
Answer: Garrett Morgan - ✂️ Who invented the hair straightening comb?
Answer: Madam C.J. Walker - 🏭 Who invented the carbon filament for light bulbs?
Answer: Lewis Latimer - 🚀 Who invented the first automatic oil cup for machines?
Answer: Elijah McCoy - 🖥️ Who invented the computer mouse?
Answer: Dr. Mark Dean - 🚗 Who invented the modern-day gas mask?
Answer: Garrett Morgan - 🏠 Who invented the refrigerator?
Answer: John Standard - 🚜 Who invented the farming plow with a steel blade?
Answer: Richard Allen - 🎥 Who invented the movie projector?
Answer: Granville T. Woods - 🔑 Who invented the door knob and lock?
Answer: Osbourn Dorsey
Riddles About Influential Black Musicians
- 🎶 Who is known as the “Queen of Soul”?
Answer: Aretha Franklin - 🎤 Who was the “King of Pop”?
Answer: Michael Jackson - 🎷 Who was a famous jazz musician known as “Satchmo”?
Answer: Louis Armstrong - 🎻 Who was the first African American woman to win a Grammy?
Answer: Ella Fitzgerald - 🎸 Who was the legendary guitarist known for blending blues and rock?
Answer: Jimi Hendrix - 🎼 Who wrote the famous song “A Change is Gonna Come”?
Answer: Sam Cooke - 🎹 Who was a jazz pianist and bandleader known as the “First Lady of Song”?
Answer: Nina Simone - 🎵 Who is known for singing “What’s Going On”?
Answer: Marvin Gaye - 🎤 Who was known as the “Godfather of Soul”?
Answer: James Brown - 🎷 Who was the saxophonist known for influencing jazz music worldwide?
Answer: Charlie Parker
Riddles About Black History Events
- ✊ What event in 1963 marked a major moment in the Civil Rights Movement?
Answer: The March on Washington - 🏛️ What landmark court case ended racial segregation in public schools in 1954?
Answer: Brown v. Board of Education - 📅 What significant event took place in 1964 to end legal segregation?
Answer: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 - 🗳️ What movement fought for the right for Black Americans to vote?
Answer: The Voting Rights Movement - 🌍 What international event helped draw attention to apartheid in South Africa?
Answer: The 1964 Olympics - 🚂 What significant event in the 1950s led to the desegregation of public buses?
Answer: The Montgomery Bus Boycott - 🎤 What 1965 event led to the death of a major Civil Rights leader?
Answer: The assassination of Malcolm X - 🏃 What event in 1965 marked a major step in voter rights?
Answer: The Selma to Montgomery March - 📚 What movement fought for educational reform and more inclusive curriculum?
Answer: The Black Power Movement - 🚨 What event in 1968 shocked the nation, leading to mass protests?
Answer: The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Riddles About Black Athletes
- 🏀 Who was known as “His Airness” in basketball?
Answer: Michael Jordan - ⚾ Who was the first African American to play Major League Baseball?
Answer: Jackie Robinson - 🏃 Who was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field?
Answer: Wilma Rudolph - 🏌️ Who was the first African American to play in the Masters golf tournament?
Answer: Lee Elder - 🏋️ Who is the Olympic gold medalist known for lifting the heaviest weight?
Answer: Mark Henry - 🏒 Who was the first African American to play in the NHL?
Answer: Willie O’Ree - 🏆 Who was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics?
Answer: Simone Biles - 🏃♀️ Who was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in long jump?
Answer: Alice Coachman - 🏀 Who was known for his famous “Sky Hook” in basketball?
Answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 🏌️♀️ Who was the first African American woman to become a professional golfer?
Answer: Althea Gibson
Riddles About Black Authors
- 📖 Who wrote the novel “Invisible Man”?
Answer: Ralph Ellison - 📝 Who is known for the classic novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”?
Answer: Zora Neale Hurston - 🖋️ Who is the author of the famous memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”?
Answer: Maya Angelou - 📚 Who wrote “The Souls of Black Folk”?
Answer: W.E.B. Du Bois - 📖 Who wrote the famous novel “Beloved”?
Answer: Toni Morrison - ✍️ Who wrote the play “A Raisin in the Sun”?
Answer: Lorraine Hansberry - 📝 Who is known for the novel “Go Tell It on the Mountain”?
Answer: James Baldwin - 🖋️ Who authored the autobiography “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”?
Answer: Malcolm X and Alex Haley - 📖 Who wrote the classic book “Native Son”?
Answer: Richard Wright - ✍️ Who wrote “The Color Purple”?
Answer: Alice Walker
Riddles About Black History Music and Dance
- 🎶 What dance became famous in the 1960s with James Brown’s music?
Answer: The Funky Chicken - 💃 Who invented the “Lindy Hop” dance?
Answer: Frankie Manning - 🎤 Who is known for the hit song “Superstition”?
Answer: Stevie Wonder - 🎶 What genre of music did Ray Charles popularize?
Answer: Soul - 🎵 Who became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Answer: Aretha Franklin - 🎤 Who is known as the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul”?
Answer: Mary J. Blige - 💃 Who helped popularize the “Charleston” dance in the 1920s?
Answer: James P. Johnson - 🎸 Who invented the “Moog synthesizer” in the 1970s?
Answer: Wendy Carlos - 🎤 Who made the famous song “What’s Going On”?
Answer: Marvin Gaye - 🎶 What genre of music did Louis Armstrong help popularize?
Answer: Jazz
Riddles About Black History Milestones
- 🎉 What year did the Civil Rights Act pass?
Answer: 1964 - 🌍 In what year did Nelson Mandela become South Africa’s first Black president?
Answer: 1994 - 🏛️ When did Barack Obama become president of the United States?
Answer: 2009 - 🏅 What year did the first African American receive a Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer: 1964 - 📜 When did the Emancipation Proclamation go into effect?
Answer: 1863 - 📅 When was Martin Luther King Jr. Day established as a national holiday?
Answer: 1983 - 🎙️ What year did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat?
Answer: 1955 - 🏆 When did the Black Panther Party form?
Answer: 1966 - 🕊️ When did the first Black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, win the Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer: 1993 - 🌍 In what year was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom?
Answer: 1963
Conclusion
These Black History riddles are a fun way to celebrate the accomplishments, stories, and incredible legacies of African Americans throughout history.
Share them with friends and family to inspire learning and spark conversations about the impact of Black culture and history.
