Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), was born on November 9, 1731 near Baltimore, Maryland, to Robert and Mary Bannaky. Although life was hard on the farm, Benjamin learned to read using the Bible as his textbook, play the flute, and the violin. When a Quaker school opened, he attended during the winter and learned to write and perform elementary arithmetic. At around 15 years old and with a limited education, Benjamin took over the operation of the family farm and created an irrigation system of little dams and ditches to control the water from the springs on their farm.

Benjamin was excited about a watch he was given. He decided to take it apart to see how it worked. He carved similar watch pieces out of wood and in 1752, created a wooden clock. It was so exact in keeping time that it struck every hour, on the hour, for nearly forty years. Banneker was a scientist, astronomer, surveyor (District of Columbia), known today as Washington, DC., mathematician, and published an almanac.