Benjamin Banneker: A Brief Biography
Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731 in Maryland. He was the first African American mathematician and astronomer. Banneker was a free man who went to schoolhouses. He continued to self-educate himself after school hours through borrowed books and learn how to read from a Bible his mother gave him from London. At 20 years old, he built the first American wooden clock carved from his pocket knife that kept precise time. Then at 60 years old he teamed up with Andrew Ellicott to decide where the White House would be. In 1788, Benjamin made astronomical calculations and accurately predicted the solar eclipse the next year. He wrote letters about opposed slavery and advocated civil rights to future president Thomas Jefferson.
Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731 in Maryland. He was the first African American mathematician and astronomer. Banneker was a free man who went to schoolhouses. He continued to self-educate himself after school hours through borrowed books and learn how to read from a Bible his mother gave him from London. At 20 years old, he built the first American wooden clock carved from his pocket knife that kept precise time. Then at 60 years old he teamed up with Andrew Ellicott to decide where the White House would be. In 1788, Benjamin made astronomical calculations and accurately predicted the solar eclipse the next year. He wrote letters about opposed slavery and advocated civil rights to future president Thomas Jefferson.