# @mdhistory on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SgKhFFqAg
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/75984607-mdhistory-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/adbd71d803.jpg
- **Posted:** 2020-04-22T16:01:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) (@mdhistory) — https://gondola.cc/mdhistory

## Caption

As part of #NationalLibraryWeek and in honor of Earth Day, France-Merrick Director of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library, Catherine Mayfield shares her favorite library collection item at MdHS: "Happy Earth Day! The very first Earth Day took place 50 years ago today and saw some 20 million Americans mobilizing to call for increased environmental protections. Earth Day is a political movement but it's also a day many use to appreciate the natural world. That world -- along with math and science -- was of fascination to this almanac's creator, Benjamin Banneker. 
Almanacs were commonplace in colonial American households, providing a wealth of information pertaining to the Earth, moon, and stars, from weather forecasts and tide tables to astronomical data. There was nothing at all common, however, about Banneker, a largely self-taught scientist, mathematician, author, astronomer, and free African-American in the 18th century. In addition to creating his series of almanacs, he corresponded with Thomas Jefferson on the topics of slavery and racial equity, and helped to survey the boundaries of the nation's new capital." #LibraryWeek #EarthDay #BenjaminBanneker

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## Tags

earthday, benjaminbanneker, nationallibraryweek, libraryweek

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