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Benjamin Banneker was a free-born African American, born to Mary and Robert Banneker.
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Banneker's education started with his grandmother, he was enrolled in a Quaker school. At the age of six, he was sent to attend the family tobacco farm, Banneker was self-educated with borrowed textbooks.
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Banneker built the first clock in America. The success of the clock striking each hour drew many people to see it. Neighbors and friends began to go to him for their services.
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After his mother died, he was left in charge of the family farm, where he constructed a cabin with a skylight to study the stars and make calculations.
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The brothers encourage Banneker to learn astronomy and mathematics. They loaned him books and instruments for observing the stars, he was able to teach himself astronomy and advanced mathematics.
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A year after starting to learn about astronomy, Banneker successfully predicted the solar eclipse of 1791 a year before it occurred.
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Banneker published his first almanac using all his own calculations. His education was self-taught, making his work even more impressive. The almanacs were released in a number of editions over a six-year period from 1792 through 1797.
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Due to the declining of sales, Banneker's last almanac was published, letters from Thomas Jefferson and himself inside.
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Banneker sold off part of his family farm in Maryland and gave the rest to the Ellicott brothers in exchange for a small pension.
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Banneker died in his small cabin in Baltimore, Maryland. He was buried at the family burial grounds near the home and went down in history as the first African American inventor.
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A couple of obstacles Banneker overcame was racial discrimination, prejudice, isolation and alcoholism.
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Benjamin Banneker was one of the first African-American's to have their own U.S. postage stamp.
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He changed society by publishing almanacs and being the first to invent a working clock.
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Benjamin Banneker is an inspiration that taught me no matter what obstacles you face, you can still overcome them with hard work and effort.