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was a phenomenal African-American mathematician, astronomer, and inventor. He was born near Baltimore, Md., on November 9, 1731. He was the son of a slave and a free black woman. He grew up as a free black, and while attending school he demonstrated early math ....

Middle of Essay
.... white scientists in Bannekar’s day that taught themselves astronomy and published their own almanacs. They didn’t think it was possible for a black man-free or slave-to be smart enough to calculate the movements of the stars the way Banneker did. Banneker was determined to create an almanac that would be the first of its kind. Therefore, he spent close to a year observing the sky every night. He plotted the cycles of the moon and made careful notes. He began publishing the ‘Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Almanac and Ephemeris’ in 1791, and continued doing so until 1802. Bannekar also knew that many people ....