Latino Firsts: Trailblazers and Milestones in United States History

by Nicolás Kanellos, Ph.D.

Salute the Latino legends, pioneers, and trailblazers!

Celebrate the Hispanic milestones, accomplishments, and victories!

An inspiring exploration of 1,250 groundbreaking individuals and pioneering events, Latino Firsts: Trailblazers and Milestones in United States History honors the an indelible mark Hispanics have made on American history and society. Featured are brigadier general Richard E. Cavazos, Nobel laureate Gabriela Mistral, actress America Ferrera, playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Francisco Ayala, artist Jen-Michel Basquiat, weightlifter Sarah Elizabeth Robles, and many, many more notable people and accomplishments, such as …

The first Latinos—three Mexican American lawyers—to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court: Gustavo C. García, Carlos Cadena, and John J. Herrera prevailed in Hernandez v. Texas to have juries in the state of Texas desegregated in 1954

The first Latina to represent the United States in the Olympics in archery: Jennifer Muciño-Fernández in 2020

The first Hispanic American to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his years of work on behalf of civil rights for Latinos: President Ronald Reagan honored Hector Pérez García in 1984

The first Latino to be named executive director and president of the Academy of American Poets: Puerto Rican Ricardo Alberto Maldonado in 2023

The United States’ first recorded Latino labor organizing activity: Juan Gómez organized cowboys in the panhandle of Texas in 1883, leading several hundred cowboys on strike against ranch owners

The first Latino to hold the rank of brigadier general of the U.S. Marine Corps: Angela Salinas in 2006

The first Hispanic to be inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame: Opera soprano Martina Arroyo in 2020

The first Puerto Rican and first U.S. Latino to win the Academy Award for Best Actor: José Ferrer in 1950 for Cyrano de Bergerac

The first Latina to serve as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company: Cuban American Geisha Williams became the CEO the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in 2017

The first Latina to serve as a bishop of the United Methodist Church: Minerva G. Carcaño in 2004

The first Latino known to have graduated from an Ivy League school: David Camden DeLeón graduated in 1836 from the University of Pennsylvania

The first Latina dancer to star on Broadway: Puerto Rican Chita Rivera was the principal dancer in 1952’s Guys and Dolls

The first Hispanic spy for the United States: Captain Román Antonio Baca in 1862

The first Latino to be named chief scientist for NASA: France Anne-Dominic Córdova in 1993

The first Latino to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism: Peruvian American journalist Carlos Lozada in 2019

And thousands of other milestones and firsts!

Milestones, victories and success are not always noticed when they happen. Sometimes an achievement is only recognized years later. Revel and rejoice in the renowned and lesser-known, barrier-breaking trailblazers in all fields—arts, entertainment, business, civil rights, education, government, invention, journalism, religion, science, sports, music, and more. Latino Firsts illuminates the rich and important history of Hispanic Americans!

About Nicolás Kanellos, Ph.D.

Nicolás Kanellos, Ph.D.

Nicolás Kanellos, Ph.D. is the director of Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Heritage of the United States, which researches Latino history in the United States. Since 1980, he has been a professor at the University of Houston, where he became the first Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies. He is founding publisher of the noted Hispanic literary journal The Americas Review and the nation’s oldest Hispanic publishing house, Arte Público Press.

In 2024, President Joe Biden presented Dr. Kanellos with the National Humanities Medal. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Dr. Kanellos to the National Council on the Humanities, and he received the 1996 Denali Press Award of the American Library Association. He was the first U.S. Latino to be inducted into the Spanish American Royal Academy of Literature, Arts & Science, and he was awarded the Anderson Imbert Lifetime Achievement Award by the North American Academy of the Spanish Language, as well as the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Queen, the highest decoration given to a civilian by the Spanish government.

He has authored or contributed to numerous books on Latino history, culture, and literature, including Visible Ink Press’ Latino Almanac: From Early Explorers to Corporate Leaders and Latino Firsts: Trailblazers and Milestones in United States History as well as the Hispanic Literature of the United States: A Comprehensive Reference and the Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States. He resides in Houston, Texas.

Hometown: Houston, TX