A drawing made of the periodical cicada's life cycle in the nineteenth century, when the public had a "peculiar interest" in the insect they had been observing for hundreds of years. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) — A drawing made of the periodical cicada's life cycle in the nineteenth century, when the public had a "peculiar interest" in the insect they had been observing for hundreds of years.

Brood X in the Eighteenth-Century Headlines

05/11/2021

Katherine Brodt

The earliest American scientist to study Brood X cicadas was likely Benjamin Banneker, working from his home near Ellicott City, Maryland. The son of free Black parents, Banneker was a self-taught naturalist, astronomer, mathematician, and surveyor. In addition to writing an almanac, he is best known in the D.C. area for helping to survey parts of the future capital city.

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Last Updated: February 11, 2025