Discover the Unexpected: Top 14 Fun Facts About the Life and Achievements of Percy Julian

1. Soybean Hormone Hero

Soy to the world, the proteins have come: Percy Julian expertly wrung hormones from humble soybean oil, birthing an economical way to produce cortisone for treating rheumatoid arthritis, while also gifting us with progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone – saving countless lives in need of their hormone fix!
Source => mysticstamp.com

2. Food Play Pioneer

Who said playing with your food was a bad idea? Percy Julian certainly didn't get the memo, and he took soybeans to a whole new level: As a scientific superhero, he extracted a game-changing protein from soybeans that became a lifesaving fire-fighting foam during WWII, and his soybean-derived steroid innovations gave relief to millions of arthritis sufferers and glaucoma patients.
Source => pbs.org

Did you know George Washington Carver explored over 300 uses for peanuts, creating not just food, but cosmetics, dyes, and even fuel sources? Discover more fascinating facts about this humble legume!

=> Fun Facts about George-Washington-Carver

3. Hormone Party Innovator

Before whipping up hormones in the lab became popular, Percy Julian was already having hormone parties of his own - and no, we're not talking about bootlegging gin: This prolific chemist pioneered the mass production of progesterone and other sex hormones from soybean-derived stigmasterol, revolutionizing modern medicine and what a soy latte stands for.
Source => sciencehistory.org

4. Tofu Firefighter and NAACP Icon

Whoever said tofu was only good for bland vegetarian dishes clearly never met Percy Lavon Julian: this soy-protein savant whipped up a non-toxic fire-fighting foam, which was used extensively by the US Navy during World War II, earning him the prestigious Spingarn Medal by the NAACP in 1947 alongside icons like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Thurgood Marshall!
Source => homework.study.com

5. Sweet Potato Steroid Savior

Did you hear about the guy who turned sweet potatoes into a lifesaving steroid for arthritis? He must have been a real yam scientist! But in all seriousness: Percy Julian revolutionized medicinal chemistry by synthesizing affordable cortisone from a wild sweet potato found in Guatemala, ultimately amassing over a hundred patents and even founding his own pharmaceutical company.
Source => uh.edu

6. Bean Juice Bedroom Booster

Who knew that bean juice could spice things up in the bedroom? Percy Julian certainly got lucky with his legume love: his accidental discovery of small crystals of the hydrate of stigmasterol in the acid-washed oil from Calabar beans led to a method for extracting and concentrating sterols from soybean oil, ultimately allowing for affordable production of sex hormones for the masses.
Source => acs.org

7. Glaucoma-Fighting Genius

When life gives you glaucoma, Percy Julian makes physostigmine: This brilliant chemist and entrepreneur synthesized the alkaloid physostigmine to treat glaucoma, cementing his status as a trailblazer in American chemical history and ensuring that eyeballs everywhere could breathe a sigh of relief.
Source => pbs.org

8. Trailblazing Lab Coat Superhero

Leaping lab coats, Batman! It's another chemist hero in action: Percy Julian was the first African-American chemist to direct a chemical research laboratory, where he mentored and trained countless young black chemists who went on to have illustrious careers in both industry and academia.
Source => pbs.org

9. Soybean Steroid Superstar

Step aside, Mr. Soy-litude: Percy Julian was never one to "soy" away from a challenge, especially when it came to extracting plant steroids: His research led to the synthesis of the anti-glaucoma drug physostigmine and the discovery of stigmasterol in soybeans, resulting in an annual production of mixed soya sterols worth over $3.6 million and affordable sex hormones like progesterone.
Source => acs.org

10. Hormone Healer's Heartfelt Journey

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but who knew the path to his hormones would be through soybeans: Percy Julian's isolation of geneserin from the Calabar bean led to the discovery of stigmasterol, enabling the production of over $3.6 million worth of mixed soya sterols annually, revolutionizing the hormone industry and changing lives in the process.
Source => acs.org

11. Good Chemistry Breaking Barriers

Who needs to break bad when you can make good chemistry: Percy Julian shattered glass ceilings as the first African-American chemist to command a chemical research lab, and he cooked up his own thriving company, accumulating millions and being dubbed "Chicagoan of the Year" by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Source => pbs.org

12. Recipe for a Remarkable Chemist

What do you get when you mix a dash of brilliance, a pinch of perseverance, and just a touch of olfactory mystery? The remarkable life of chemist Percy Julian, of course: Facing discrimination and limited resources, Julian concocted the first total synthesis of the anti-glaucoma drug physostigmine, an achievement that not only gained him recognition in the world of medicinal chemistry but also laid the foundation for modern-day treatments for Alzheimer's, chemical warfare, and rheumatoid arthritis. Did he have anosmia and couldn't smell? That's a fact up for debate, but one thing we know for sure is that this legendary chemist's work made a lasting impact.
Source => acs.org

13. Soybean Savior for Pharmaceuticals

Whoever said soybeans are just for the veg-heads never had a whiff of Percy Julian's work: This genius chemist harnessed the power of soybeans to mass-produce affordable and accessible medicinal compounds like cortisone and hydrocortisone, transforming lives and the pharmaceutical industry.
Source => sciencehistory.org

14. Steroid-Making History Maker

When life gives you steroids, make cortisone and birth control pills: Percy Julian, a trailblazing African American chemist, made history by earning his Doctorate in Chemistry, becoming the second African American scientist in the National Academy of Sciences, and concocting over 130 patents which ultimately revolutionized the steroid drug industry, making medications like cortisone and birth control pills more accessible to the masses.
Source => sigmaxi.org