1090 Shares Share on Facebook Share on Twitter This is the second week of our May biweekly series that focuses on black men who changed the world with their inventions. Benjamin Banneker On November 9, 1731, Benjamin Banneker was born to an ex-slave named Robert and his wife, Mary Banneky, in Maryland. Mary and her husband, Robert, who she freed, ensured that Benjamin escaped slavery as they were both freemen. His maternal grandmother taught him to read, and for a short while, he attended a small Quaker school. At an early age, he showed interest in mathematics and went on … Continue reading Two Important Inventions That Would Not Exist Without Black Men