Image Credit: http://www.bannekerstore.com/benjamin-banneker/
On this day in 1731, Benjamin Banneker was born free near
Baltimore, Maryland. During his life, he became a renowned farmer,
mathematician, and astronomer. As a teenager, he invented an irrigation system
for his family’s farm, and at the age of 21, he constructed the first clock
completely built in North America. The clock was made entirely of wood, and kept accurate time for 50 years.
Banneker’s most noted accomplishment is that of architect of
Washington, D.C. Historians tell us that after a year of work, the French
architect hired by George Washington to design the capital, quit and took all
of the plans with him. Banneker, who was
placed on the development committee at Thomas Jefferson's request, saved the
project by reproducing from memory a complete layout of the streets, parks, and
major buildings.
Washington, D.C. itself is a monument to the genius of this
great man.
Benjamin Banneker died in 1806 at the age of 75.
Follow Me on Twitter: @TechAndDaBros
No comments:
Post a Comment