Banneker was born November 9, 1731 in a little town near Ellicotts Lower Mills in Maryland. Banneker's grandmother, Molly Walsh was a maid in England. She was sent to Maryland as an indentured servant. When her indenture ended after seven years, Molly Walsh bought a farm. She took along two slaves to help her with the operation of the farm. Molly soon freed the slaves and married the slave named Banna Ka. After a while, the couple had several children one of which named Mary. Mary grew up on her mother's farm and married a slave named Robert. Mary and Robert Banna Ka became the parents of Benjamin. Their names later changed to Bannker. His Whelch grandmother taught him to read and write. He taught himself math and astronomy. Benjamin's parents were different nationalities. At the age of six Banneker moved away from his grandmother. His parents, three sisters and he moved to Baltimore County, Maryland. They moved on a tobacco farm so most of his life was spent on the farm. Benjamin loved to read. Most of his love for reading was learned as he read the Bible. Banneker also loved arithmetic. At the age of 21, Banneker built a striking clock. In 1789, when he was 58 he accurately predicted a solar eclipse. When he was 59, after inheriting his dad's tobacco farm, he taught himself astronomy. He built himself a "work-cabin" with a sky-light to study the stars and make calculations. When he was 60 he helped survey the Federal Territory, which is now the District of Columbia. In a letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1792, Benjamin called for the abolition of slavery. When he was 61, he published his first almanac. He was a freed black and most of his life was spent as a self-employed tobacco planter. For years Benjamin Banneker has been called "the first Negro man of science." When Benjamin was 21, he was inspired by a business associate's pocket watch and decided to build a clock. Even though he didn't know how one worked, he took the watch apart...