- William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868
- Graduated from Great Barrington High School in 1884
- Earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fisk University in 1888
- Earned his Master of Arts from Harvard University in 1891
- Earned Doctorate in History from Harvard University in 1895
- Assistant instructor in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania 1896-97
- Professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University
- Editor of The Crisis Magazine at the NAACP
- Authored The Negro in Business in 1899
- Authored Souls of Black Folk in 1903
- Co-founded The Niagara Movement in 1905
- Authored Voice of the Negro II in 1905
- Co-founded the NAACP in 1909
- Authored The Negro in 1915
- Awarded Spingarn Medal in 1920
- Authored The Gift of Black Folk in 1924
- Authored Black Reconstruction in 1935
- Awarded Lenin Peace Prize in 1959
- Du Bois died at the age of 95 on August 27, 1963