HistoryTalk

Vivien Thomas. The Janitor Who Revolutionised Heart Surgery

In 1930, a young Black man, Vivien Theodore Thomas, arrived at Vanderbilt University, officially employed as a janitor but deeply passionate about medicine. With no formal training beyond high school, he impressed Dr. Alfred Blalock so profoundly that he rapidly progressed from sweeping floors to mastering complex surgical techniques in the lab 

In 1941, Blalock brought Thomas to Johns Hopkins, where alongside cardiologist Helen Taussig they embarked on pioneering work to treat “blue baby syndrome” (Tetralogy of Fallot).

Thomas conducted hundreds of experiments in animals, developing the methodical precision needed. On November 29, 1944, during the first human operation,

Thomas stood behind Blalock, coaching every move from a step stool. His contributions saved countless lives and ushered in modern heart surgery.

Edmond Albius:

The Forgotten Genius Who Revolutionised the Vanilla Industry

History often remembers the great inventors, scientists, and innovators who changed the world, but too often, the contributions of Black pioneers are overlooked or erased. One such overlooked genius is Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old enslaved boy whose discovery transformed the vanilla industry forever. Without formal education, financial resources, or recognition, Albius solved a botanical mystery that had puzzled the world’s leading experts for decades. His technique for hand-pollinating vanilla orchids enabled large-scale vanilla production, making it the valuable global commodity it is today.

A Young Innovator Against the Odds

Edmond was born in 1829 on the island of Réunion, a French colony in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. At the time, vanilla had already been introduced to the island by French settlers, who sought to cultivate it as a cash crop. However, unlike in Mexico, where native Melipona bees naturally…