The Extraordinary Benjamin Banneker
Jessie Kratz
For Black History Month we’re taking a closer look at mathematician, statistician, astronomer, surveyor, and farmer Benjamin Banneker.
Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Baltimore County, Maryland. He lived on his family’s 100-acre farm near present-day Ellicott City his entire life. While many mythologies have developed surrounding Banneker and his accomplishments since his death, his life was nonetheless extraordinary.
What we do know about Banneker is that he learned to read..