Benjamin Banneker - A Man of Science

Benjamin Banneker - A Man of Science. . , Benjamin Banneker was born to free parents on November 9, 1731, in Baltimore County, Maryland and spent his childhood on his family's farm. His grandmother taught him to read and write. He later attended a one-room school. Banneker worked a 100-acre tobacco farm he owned with his father and engaged in independent study. At age 21, he first drew public attention for having built a wooden striking clock by duplicating watch parts. It has been noted that the clock kept precise time for decades. His mathematical prowess led to correspondence with scholars who challenged him to solve arithmetic problems. He not only solved them but posed math puzzles in prose in response. In his studies of astronomy, Banneker wrote annual almanacs that listed tides, astronomical information and lunar and solar eclipses he calculated himself. Banneker also observed bee cycles and noted the 17-year-cycle of the Brood X cicadas.,

"Thou need'st to , have a special care , Thy conduct with , thy talents square, , That no contaminating , vice, obscure , Thy lustre , in our eyes, , Or cast a shade upon , thy merit or blast the , Praise thou , might'st , inherit:…" , , An Address to Benjamin Banneker, an African Astronomer, who Presented the Author with a manuscript Almanac in 1796 [Poem by Susanna Mason, 1796]