{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Benjamin Banneker: The African-American Astronomer who shaped D.C.","description":"Benjamin Banneker used math, astronomy, and publication to claim space in a country that tried to deny him authority. This episode follows his path from a Maryland farm to almanacs that carried his name across the young republic, and to the 1791 boundary survey work that helped set the lines of the new federal district. What You\u2019ll Learn 1.      How Banneker became an astronomer without a formal scientific education and why an ephemeris inside an almanac mattered so much in the late 1700s. 2.      What Banneker actually did in 1791 during Andrew Ellicott\u2019s boundary work, and why later stories about his role in Washington\u2019s design grew beyond the record. 3.      How publishing changed his life by carrying his calculations, voice, and reputation into a wider public, starting with the 1792 almanac (issued in 1791) and continuing through 1797. Resources and further reading \u00b7         National Park Service: Benjamin Banneker and the boundary survey (Jones Point) https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/000\/nama-notebook-benjamin-banneker.htm \u00b7         Library of Congress: Banneker\u2019s 1792 almanac record (issued 1791) https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/98650590\/ \u00b7         Encyclopedia Virginia: Banneker\u2019s letter to Jefferson (Aug. 19, 1791) https:\/\/encyclopediavirginia.org\/primary-documents\/letter-from-benjamin-banneker-to-thomas-jefferson-august-19-1791\/ \u00b7         Library of Congress: Jefferson\u2019s reply to Banneker (Aug. 30, 1791) https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/mcc.028\/ \u00b7         Smithsonian Libraries & Archives: context on Banneker and later myths https:\/\/blog.library.si.edu\/blog\/2017\/02\/15\/americas-first-known-african-american-scientist-mathematician\/ \u00b7         American Philosophical Society: Ellicott, Banneker, and boundary-survey context https:\/\/www.amphilsoc.org\/news\/surveyors-andrew-ellicott-benjamin-banneker-and-boundaries-nation-and-knowledge \u00b7         PBS: Banneker overview (includes Ellicott lending books\/tools context) https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/aia\/part2\/2p84.html \u00b7         Smithsonian Magazine: discussion of Banneker\u2019s almanacs and cultural impact https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/blogs\/smithsonian-books\/2024\/01\/04\/benjamin-bannekers-almanac-of-strange-dreams\/ \ud83d\udd17 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com \ud83d\udcda To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https:\/\/a.co\/d\/g3OuP9h \ud83c\udf0d Let\u2019s Connect!Bluesky: https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/math.science.history Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/math-science-history\/  Threads: https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https:\/\/mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/mathsciencehistory  \ud83c\udfa7 Enjoying the Podcast? \u2615 Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https:\/\/www.mathsciencehistory.com\/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Ambient Documentary by Vira Miller at Pixabay Hopeful by Maarten Schellekens at Pixabay Nature Documentary by James Carter at Pixabay Smooth Piano by Universefield at Pixabay   Until next time, carpe diem! ","author_name":"Math! Science! History!","author_url":"https:\/\/www.mathsciencehistory.com","html":"