Related Black History Biographies: 1  Jackie Robinson 1919-1972 The first African American in the twentieth century to play major league baseball, Jackie Robinson was undoubtedly one of... 2  Cool Papa Bell 1903-1991 Cool Papa Bell was a baseball player who was renowned for his speed and prowess on the field.
Still, it's not a huge industry. There are between 5,000 and 10,000 blacksmiths in the U.S., and of those, only about 10 percent do it professionally â they make things like custom railings or artistic hardware for homes. Back in the classroom, Scott Higgins is learning to punch a hole in metal.
While GM has just two-thirds as many UAW members as in 2007, Ford has now brought back all of the factory jobs it eliminated during the recession. Ford built about 125,000 more vehicles in the U.S. last year than it did in 2007, despite having seven fewer plants. Ford had 50,703 U.S. hourly workers as of Feb. 1, according to a report from the UAW's Ford department. A GM spokesman said the company has about 50,300 U.S. hourly workers. Ten years ago, GM had about 21,000 more than Ford.