"? it is the indispensable duty of those, who maintain for themselves the rights of human nature, ... to extend their power and influence to the relief of every part of the human race..." - Benjamin Banneker, 1792
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) was born a free black in Maryland near the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. With very little formal schooling, he became America's first black man of science, an accomplished mathematician, astronomer, and producer of almanacs.
In 1791 Major Andrew Ellicott selected Banneker to assist him in the survey of the ten-mile square that became the District of Columbia. Banneker's astronomical work contributed significantly to making the boundaries of the new capital of the United States exact.
After returning to his farm in Maryland, Banneker completed calculations for an almanac for the year 1792. His almanacs continued to be published for the years 1792 through 1797. At least 28 editions were printed and were widely distributed in the United States and abroad.
Picture Captions:
[Commemorative U.S. Postage Stamp: "Benjamin Benneker - Black Heritage - USA, 15c".] No contemporary portrait of Banneker is known to exist. This commemorative postage stamp issued on February 15, 1980, is base upon descriptions provided by neighbors who knew him.
[Page from Banneker's journal.] Banneker was able to calculate and predict precisely the positions of the sun, moon and planets each year for his almanacs. Writing and charting in his journal on April 3, 1791, he recorded this solar eclipse.
[Benjamin Banneker's "Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Almanack and Ephemeris for the Year of our Lord, 1792."] In colonial America, the almanac was an indispensable reference work found in almost every home.
[Banneker's famous wooden clock.] Banneker became intrigued by a pocket watch he had seen as a young man. Using a knife he intricately carved out the wheels and gears of a wooden timepiece. The remarkable clock he constructed from memory kept time and struck the hours for the next fifty years.
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