Virginia Calculator: Thomas Fuller.
Thomas Fuller, an enslaved African sold in 1724 at 14, was hailed as the "Virginia Calculator" for his remarkable ability to solve intricate math problems mentally. Despite being unable to read or write, his extraordinary skills challenged prevailing notions of racial inferiority, becoming a symbol for antislavery campaigners. Speculation arose about his origins, with some suggesting he might have acquired his mathematical prowess in Africa. Thomas Fuller, born in Africa between present-day Liberia and Benin 🇧🇯 and brought to America in 1724. Owned by Presley and Elizabeth Cox of Virginia, both he and his owners were illiterate. Despite this, Fuller's exceptional mathematical abilities made him highly valued among the Coxes' 16 slaves. His talents became widely known, with abolitionists citing his case as evidence of Black intellectual equality with whites. When Fuller was about 70 years old, William Hartshorne and Samuel Coates were in Alexandria and, having heard of Fuller's powers, sent for him. They asked him two questions which satisfied their curiosity. the number of seconds in a year and a half, Thomas Fuller swiftly responded with 47,304,000 in approximately two minutes. Similarly, when asked about the total seconds in the life of a 70-year-old man, he answered 2,210,500,800 in just a minute and a half. One of the men was working out the problems on paper, and informed Fuller that he was wrong, because the answer was much smaller. Fuller hastily replied, "Top, massa, you forget de leap year." When the leap year was added in, the sums matched. Despite a lifetime of hard work on a farm, he abstained from excessive alcohol consumption. Fuller spoke highly of his mistress and appreciated her refusal to sell him despite tempting offers. When one of the gentlemen, Mr. Coates, expressed pity about Fuller's lack of formal education matching his genius, Fuller disagreed, stating, "No, massa, it is best I had no learning, for many learned men be great fools."
