Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731 in Ellicott City, Maryland. Benjamin's parents were former slaves, but he was born free and raised on a tobacco farm where he attended school. However, Benjamin learned science mostly through teaching himself. He worked most of his life as a farmer, but he was also a successful problem-solver. When Banneker was 24, he studied how clocks work by taking apart a watch, reassembling it, and making his own clock from wood. He taught himself astronomy (the study of the moon and stars), and published a popular almanac (a book published every year that contains facts about the movements of the sun and moon, changes in the ocean's tides), Benjamin Banneker's Almanac, from 1792 to 1797.
Also a mathematician, Benjamin surveyed (made maps) of the land that was to become Washington, D.C. Benjamin worked on calculating the precise measurement of meters.
Benjamin exchanged letters with Thomas Jefferson about slavery and how blacks were just as intelligent as whites.
Benjamin never married; much of his personal life is now a mystery, as his papers and belongings were destroyed in a fire that occurred on the day of his funeral.
I am looking forward to reading this book!
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