Percy Lavon Julian

About

One of the first African-Americans to receive a doctorate in chemistry who synthesized some of the earliest plant-derived medicine. He was also the African-American chemist inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.

Before Fame

Denied a professorship due to his race, he went to work for the Glidden Company, where among his other inventions, he found a better fire retardent than plain water.

Trivia

Running his own company, he worked to create synthetic steroid intermediates from wild yams, dramatically lowering cost of their production.

Family Life

He was born in Montgomery, Alabama, his father a former slave.

Associated With

Dr. Charles Drew was another renowned African-American scientist.