Benjamin Banneker | |
|---|---|
 Library of Congress Banneker depicted in a 1943 mural by Maxine Merlino in the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C. (2010)[1] | |
| Born | November 9, 1731 |
| Died | October 19, 1806 (aged 74) Oella, Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Benjamin Bannaker |
| Occupation(s) | almanac author, surveyor, farmer |
| Parents |
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Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731 – October 19, 1806) was an African-American naturalist, mathematician, astronomer and almanac author. A landowner, he also worked as a surveyor and farmer.
Born in Baltimore County, Maryland, to a free African-American mother and a father who had formerly been enslaved, Banneker had little or no formal education and was largely self-taught. He became known for assisting Major Andrew Ellicott in a survey that established the original borders of the District of Columbia, the federal capital district of the United States.
Banneker's knowledge of astronomy helped him author a commercially successful series of almanacs. He corresponded with Thomas Jefferson on the topics of slavery and racial equality. Abolitionists and advocates of racial equality promoted and praised Banneker's works. Although a fire on the day of Banneker's funeral destroyed many of his papers and belongings, one of his journals and several of his remaining artifacts survived.
Banneker became a folk-hero after his death, leading to many accounts of his life being exaggerated or embellished.[2] The names of parks, schools and streets commemorate him and his works, as do other tributes.