New Delhi, May 23 -- George Washington Carver, born into slavery in Missouri near the end of the Civil War, rose to become one of the most prominent Black scientists and educators of the early 20th century. His intellectual curiosity led him through schools in Kansas and Iowa, where he became the first Black student at Iowa State Agricultural College and later earned a Master of Science degree. In 1896, he joined Tuskegee Institute, where he worked for 47 years, teaching crop rotation, promoting alternative crops, and helping poor farmers improve soil health and self-sufficiency. The National Park Service notes that Carver developed 325 uses for peanuts, 108 applications for sweet potatoes, and 75 products from pecans.

"Fear of something...