Timeline and Facts about Benjamin Banneker

Timeline:

Benjamin Banneker was an African American astronomer and mathematician. He is also remembered as an almanac author and farmer. He was born on November 9, 1731. He developed chronic alcoholism and died at the age of 75, on October 9, 1806.

Facts about Benjamin Banneker:

Banneka, Benjamin Banneker's grandfather, was a member of the Dogon tribe, a clan reputed for their erudition in astronomy. After being enslaved by Molly Welsh as a farm hand, he not only cleared the land and sorted irrigation facilities, but also successfully actualized crop rotation. It wasn't long before Molly married Banneka, not only for his show of sheer genius on the farm, but also for his knowledge on astronomy. Their daughter Mary, was the mother of Benjamin Banneker.

Benjamin was born after Banneka's death, but he acquired the inherited knowledge in astronomy via Molly. She taught him how to read, interpret the sighting of celestial bodies and even farming. There is very little known about Robert, Benjamin's father, who was a slave too. Banneker's friendship with Peter Heinrichs, the owner of a school, exposed Banneker to classroom instruction. Banneker 's inherited genius was first on show with the pocket watch replica he designed at 21, which kept running till his death!

In 1788, Benjamin pursued a formal study in astronomy and completed a thesis on solar eclipse. In 1791, he was hired as a surveyor, by Major Andrew Ellicott, to demarcate the 100 mile federal district that Maryland was to cede to the Federal Government, along with Virginia. Banneker used astronomical observations on job. He maintained a clock that kept tabs on the locations of the stars in conjunction with points on ground surface.

As part of an ephemeris project, Banneker accurately predicted lunar and solar eclipses. He designed six-year revisions of the ephemeris that were published from 1792 to 1797. His journals and notebooks offer great insight into his unique mathematical calculations on the rising and setting times of the sun on a daily basis, age of the moon, eclipse timings and even weather forecasts. The ephemeris designed by Banneker also caught the attention of Thomas Jefferson.

Banneker was a strong propounder of the anti-slavery drive and racist ideology. Copies of his personal correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, poetess Phyllis Wheatley and poet William Cowper were instrumental in proposing the 'peace office' within the paradigms of the federal government. He used his essays and articles to plead the cause of justice for African Americans. He did not even spare Jefferson when he denounced fraudulent measures adopted when dealing with slaves.

Banneker's contributions towards securing equality for America's colored population were impressive. Whether he used his almanac's or general articles to air his views and opinions, Banneker minced no words. He was never married and died a lonely death in his log cabin, in 1806. His alcoholism had worsened and was the trigger for his deteriorating health. Benjamin Banneker's mortal remains were buried in Oella, Maryland.

Banneker's accomplishments have even been extolled in the following controversial claims:

• It was believed that he reconstructed plans of Washington city, the federal capital city, which were taken away by the dismissed surveyor L'Enfant, by photographic memory!
• He is also credited with having accurately pointed out the sites where the White House, Capitol and even the US Treasury Building stand today.