This year is the 35th anniversary of the celebration of Black History Month as we know it: a month-long celebration of the role African-Americans have played in shaping the culture of the United States, as well as a reflection on the way they were persecuted and punished for hundreds of years before being granted the same rights as white citizens. Yet a lot of younger people — especially those in college or younger — might mistakenly think that Black History Month sprang into being fully formed, or that it's just another part of modern life. That's anything but true, as evidenced by the decades-long struggle to bring an equal focus to the trials and successes of black men and women and their contributions to the United States. Here are a few key things to remember about Black History Month that you might not have known:

1. We owe it all to Carter G. Woodson: Carter Woodson (pictured above) was born in Virginia in 1875, just a decade after the end of the Civil War. From the start, he was a gifted kid, and he would go on to study at the University of Chicago and Harvard. He became a fierce believer in the importance of black history and founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in the fall of 1915. Woodson was the one who pioneered the idea of a time devoted to studying and celebrating the contributions of Americans of African heritage, and he did it in 1926. Without his studies or efforts, the holiday would likely never have happened.
2. It started out as a week-long celebration before expanding: Interestingly, Woodson's idea was originally to devote a week to the cause, not a whole month. It was born as "Negro History Week" in the mid-1920s and slotted for February. Goodson believed that the contributions of African-Americans were "overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them," so he wanted everyone to take a week in which we could all focus on the larger picture. History is written by the victors, and as such, the dominant North would be in a position to play up their own heroism while unintentionally minimizing the horrors visited upon blacks as well as their own strength and determination to become free. The week was eventually expanded to fill February entirely.
3. It took its current shape in the year of America's bicentennial: It was a fitting coincidence that in the year marking the 200th anniversary of the United States' independence, the first modern incarnation of Black History Month was celebrated. By expanding from a week to a month, BHM became a bigger event and a chance for more schools and local governments to recognize the ups and downs of the shared history of all Americans. Every year since, the president has issued a statement commemorating the month; here's President Obama's announcement for this year.
4. The timing was inspired by Lincoln and Douglass: The timing of Black History Month became a punch line for some critics, who wryly noted that the shortest month of the year had been given to the cause. But Woodson's decision to use February to celebrate a week and later an entire month of black history was no accident: he wanted it to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (sometime in February). It's easy, of course, to see why. Lincoln had done more than any other president to support the cause and ultimate freedom of the slaves, while Douglass was one of the most revered abolitionists and orators in the country. The week used these dates and commemorations as a springboard into larger discussions.
5. It's inspired other holidays: The spread of Black History Month, even in its original week-long form, helped champion the cause of those who believed in the importance of setting aside holidays to remember the struggles of the slaves and their eventual rise to freedom. Juneteenth is a popular holiday whose success is partly owed to that movement. Celebrated on June 19, the holiday began in Texas as a recognition of the last slaves to be freed after the Civil War, and it became an official state holiday in 1980, four years after the start of the modern form of Black History Month. Juneteenth became so prominent that about three dozen states had adopted it as a holiday by 2010.
6. It almost always stirs controvery: Many critics contend that the existence Black History Month is merely another way to segregate white and black societies under the guise of enlightenment and education. Morgan Freeman said the practice is "ridiculous", adding, "You're going to relegate my history to a month? … I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history." Joseph Wayne wrote in Newsweek in 1994 that Black History Month is "a thriving monument to tokenism which, ironically, has been wholeheartedly embraced and endorsed by the black community." As is usually the case, both sides make valid points. It's a good thing that the movement has led to the creation of a month in which the real contributions of African-Americans can be acknowledged by those who might not have known them before, but to only celebrate black history in February is a step backward for us all. The goal is to integrate it all year.
7. The month got a boost in the 1960s: The transition from week-long observance to month-long celebration mostly happened in the 1960s, thanks to the blossoming civil rights movement. Random pockets of people across the country took it upon themselves to celebrate a black history month as early as the 1940s, and though Woodson died in 1950, his idea had a life of its own. More and more young African-Americans took to celebrating the full month throughout the 1960s, and soon enough, the organization that Woodson had formed, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (by then called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History), officially changed over to a month-long observance of black history.
8. It's celebrated in Britain, as well: Every October, Brits observe Black History Month with thousands of events, and the celebration in its current form goes back to the mid-1980s. Much the way Woodson's programs blossomed in the U.S., the British observation of Black History Month was born of the civil rights movement and the desire by locals to celebrate the roles of Africans in their culture, which across the pond often came in the form of Caribbean Week.
9. Every year has a different theme: For 2011, Black History Month has the theme "African Americans and the Civil War." It's an appropriate title, since 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and the beginning of the modern era of blacks in American society. Earlier themes have covered a variety of topics relating to the deeds and works of African-American society, from popular members to unsung heroes. Examples include "From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas" and Celebrating Community: A Tribute to Black Fraternal, Social, and Civic Institutions".
10. Schools started observing it in the 1930s: Woodson's week-long exploration of African-American history caught on with schools across the country, and Woodson's Association for the Study of Negro Life and History began to produce a variety of teacher aids and curriculum supplements to assist in lesson planning. The dissemination of posters, pictures, and information helped Depression-era children begin to understand how the horrors of the recent past were still affecting their world. In 1937, the Association started publishing Negro History Bulletin, a newsletter supplement that was a forerunner to the month's current thematically linked celebrations.