featured in this half hour, bessie coleman, the first african-american female pilot and matthew henson, arctic >> she was known as queen bess. in her short life and career, bessie coleman, the first african-american female pilot truly earned her title. bessie was born in 1892 in atlanta, texas, the tenth of 13 children. a few years later, the family moved to pick cotton, and bessie coleman grew up in a time when it wasn't easy for any woman, and particularly an african-american female to succeed at very many things outside the norm, and the norm would be cooking and cleaning and taking care of children, and sometimes if they got lucky, becoming a school teacher or a nurse, if they got the education. in bessie's case, she had very meager beginnings. she loved school. she walked to a one-room schoolhouse every day, to and from about a mile each way, and she excelled, especially in mathematics and science, which is the cornerstone of aviation. >> my teacher would say this is one of the most important lessons you are ever going to learn in life. don't pay no attention tour circumstances, s

. >>> matthew henson was one of the first people to visit the north pole.enson went to sea when he was 12 years old working as a cabin boy. he then became a clerk here in the district where he met robert e. perry, the explorer. because henson was also an accomplished mechanic, navigator and carpenter, perry chose him to accompany him on his next seven expeditions to the arctic. perry henson and four eskimos were the first people to reach the north pole in 1909. henson wrote a negro explorer at the north pole in 1912. president howard taft appointed henson a clerk in the u.s. customs house in new york a year later. henson was awarded a congressional medal in 1944 for his work on the perry expedition. log on to wusa9.com for more moments in black history. >>> it is 5:556789 we're looking at -- 5:55. we're looking at temps in the 30s and 40s. a little breezy because we have a front coming through. by 9:00 sunshine, mid up toker 30s north. 41 in town. maybe 42, 43. then we're going to start the rebound. by lunch time in the upper 40s. lots of sunshine, even 50