BENJAMIN BANNEKER

BENJAMIN BANNEKER, (1736 -1806) Astronomer and mathematician helped survey the Federal Territory that became the District of Columbia and published annual almanacs.

Benjamin Banneker’s Almanacs included medicines and medical treatments, listed tide predictions, and other meteorological information all compiled by Banneker himself.

Narration:

With his eyes on the skies, he became a great astronomer, surveyor, and writer. His name – Benjamin Banneker.

Born in Maryland in 1736, Banneker was a free man, even though he lived during slavery.

His only formal education took place in a school run by Quakers.  He focused on astronomy as an adult and wrote several astronomical calculations, including predicting solar and lunar eclipses.  He chronicled those observations and more in his Almanac which was published and sold across several cities between 1792 and 1797.

As a surveyor, Banneker was appointed to help define the boundary lines of the Federal Territory, which was later called Washington, D.C.

In honor of his body of work, the U. S. Postal Service issued a stamp in his honor in 1980.

Benjamin Banneker – A Great American

Credits: Editor: Stacy T. Holmes, ACE, Narrator: Steve Schy, Music: PartnersinRhyme.com, Digital Collection: Library of Congress, Copyright: CBN Communications