Gerard Mercator
1512 Rupelmonde
1594 Duisburg
As early as during his studies in Loewen, Germany, Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) was very much interested in the practical application of mathematical formulas. Mercator started his career in 1537 with the production of globes, wall maps and scientific instruments made of copper, which he later was ordered to make for the emperor Karl V. In 1552 Mercator moved from Flanders to Duisburg in pursuit of his aim in life - the creation of a comprehensive historical and geographical cosmography. The ground-breaking "Atlas sive cosmographicae meditationes collection" (published in a sequence of volumes from 1585 onwards) can be seen as his major work.
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