Benjamin Banneker was one of the first African-American mathematicians.

American Mathematician and Astronomer
1731–1806

Benjamin Banneker is best known for his work in mathematics and astronomy. According to W. Douglas Brown, Banneker was "the first American Negro to challenge the world by the independent power of his intellect."

A native of Baltimore County, Maryland, Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, and spent most of his life on his father's farm located in what is now Ellicott City, Maryland. Although his father had been a slave, his mother was born free to a white English woman who came to America as an indentured servant and married a native African.

Banneker's family had sufficient means to afford schooling. The school was only open in the winter, and the pupils included a few whites and two or three black children. There Benjamin learned to read and do arithmetic to "double...