Thomas Fuller, also known as “Negro Tom” and the “Virginia Calculator,” was an enslaved African who became known for his exceptional mental math skills.
Thomas was brought from Africa and sold into slavery in 1724 when he was 14 years old. He became known as the “Virginia Calculator” because he could solve difficult mathematical problems in his head.
When asked how many seconds were in a year and a half, he quickly answered 47,304,000.
He was also asked how many seconds a person had lived if they were 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours old. He gave the answer, 2,210,500,800, in about a minute and a half.
One man calculated the problem on paper and told Fuller that his answer was wrong because his number was too large.
Fuller replied, “You forgot the leap year.”
After accounting for the leap years, Fuller’s answer was correct.