Taylor, Marshall 'Major'
1878-1932 · Contribution: 1899
Cyclist
First African American to win a world championship in cycling, and the first in any sport

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1878, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Active since
- 1896
- Category
- Sports & Athletics
- Best known for
- First African American world champion in any sport
Impact on the world
Taylor conquered a hugely popular sport at the turn of the century as its first Black world champion, decades before most sports would integrate at any level.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Source lookupFind
National Endowment for the Humanities
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First Black player in National Hockey League history
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Defeated German boxer Max Schmeling in a fight widely seen as a symbolic rebuke of Nazi ideology