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Banneker's thirst for learning led to presidential appointment
Monday, February 14, 2000
Benjamin Banneker is widely regarded as the first African American scientist. He was born a free man in 1731 on his family's farm in Maryland, about 10 miles outside of Baltimore. His father and grandfather were former slaves and the family name is derived from his grandfather's African name -- Banna Ka.
Banneker's grandmother taught Benjamin and his brothers to read using the Bible as a text. Eventually, a Quaker school teacher set up a small school near the farm and Benjamin attended classes until he was about 15.
Banneker pursued learning throughout his life. He had become a close friend of a local wealthy family, and from them he borrowed books on a variety of subjects. He took an interest in mathematics and astronomy. He spent most clear nights watching the stars and calculating their motions.
In 1791, Banneker accepted appointment to the three-man team of surveyors named by President Washington to lay out the new "Federal District," Washington D.C. This made him the first African American to receive a presidential appointment. When Pierre L'Enfant, the architect in charge of the project, was dismissed, it was Banneker who re-created the city plans from memory.
In 1792, Banneker began to publish an astronomical almanac for "Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia." His work on the almanac, which he produced for five years, brought him into contact with many other distinguished people of his day, including Thomas Jefferson.
Banneker died in 1806.
-- By John G. Radzilowicz, Director, Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium & Observatory
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