Banneker, Benjamin

1. An African-American scientist of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Banneker taught himself calculus and trigonometry in order to make astronomical calculations for almanacs. He was hailed by abolitionists (see abolitionism) for proving that “the powers of the mind are disconnected with the colour of the skin.”

Example Sentences

As more and more college students set their sights on jobs in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, we tend to forget about figures across history who achieved great things in science but who had no formal training as “scientists” – for example, Benjamin Banneker, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci and George Washington Carver.

From US News