Marguerite Ann Johnson was born in St. Louis. Better know as Maya Angelou, she went on to be nominated for Pulitzer Prize in poetry and a Tony Award and to win three Grammys. She also broke many barriers: She was the first black woman to be a streetcar conductor in San Francisco. She was the first black woman to write a screenplay for a film that was made. And she was the first black woman to direct a major motion picture.

This post was contributed by Joe Sonderman. Joe has written many books on Missouri and Route 66 history. You can find his books on Amazon.com and on 66postcards.com.