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Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731 - October 9, 1806) was an African-American scientist, surveyor, almanac author and farmer. Born to a free African-American woman and a former slave, he had little formal education and was largely self-taught. In 1753, at the age of 22, Banneker completed a wooden clock that struck on the hour and was able to start up his own watch and clock repair business. Borrowing books on astronomy and mathematics and putting his newfound knowledge to use, he accurately predicted a 1789 solar eclipse. In the early 1790s, he compiled and published his Almanac and Ephemeris of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. He corresponded with Thomas Jefferson on the topics of slavery and racial equality. Impressed by his abilities, Jefferson recommended Banneker to be a part of a surveying team to lay out Washington, D.C. Appointed to the three-man team by president George Washington, he wound up saving the project when the lead architect quit and took all the plans with him. Using his meticulous memory, Banneker was able to recreate the plans. After declining sales of his almanac and having to sell off his farm he died in his log cabin in 1806, exactly one month before his 75th birthday.
