Martin Waldseemüller

Martin Waldseemüller was a German cartographer and humanist scholar who lived from around 1470 until 1520. He is best known for his work in making maps. Along with his friend Matthias Ringmann, Waldseemüller created a very important world map in 1507. On this map, they were the first people to use the name America to describe part of the New World, naming it after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.

Their map was special because it showed the Americas as a separate land, different from Asia, with the Pacific Ocean in between. Waldseemüller was also the first person to make a printed globe and the first to create a printed wall map of Europe. In 1513, he added a set of his maps to a book called Geography by Ptolemy, and this is considered the first modern atlas. His work helped people understand the world better during his time.

Life and works

Martin Waldseemüller was born around 1470 in the German town of Wolfenweiler. He studied at the University of Freiburg, where he learned from important teachers. Later, he moved to Basel and became a priest. There, he worked with printers and learned skills in making maps.

In about 1500, a group of scholars formed in Saint Dié, led by Walter Lud. Waldseemüller joined them and worked closely with Matthias Ringmann. In 1507, they created a world map and a book called Introduction to Cosmography. On this map, they used the name "America" for part of the new lands discovered across the ocean, honoring the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. This map was very popular and helped spread the name America.

Waldseemüller also worked on maps for a new edition of an old book about geography. Though he stopped working on this project, his maps became important for other mapmakers. He created many other maps and even a special map of Europe’s roads. Waldseemüller passed away in 1520 in Saint Dié.

1507 map rediscovered

Further information on redicovery of Waldseemüller map at: Waldseemüller map § History

The 1507 wall map was missing for a long time, but a copy was found in Schloss Wolfegg in southern Germany by Joseph Fischer in 1901. It is the only known copy and was bought by the United States Library of Congress in May 2003 for $10 million, the highest price ever paid for a historical document at that time. Five copies of Waldseemüller's globular map still exist as "gores": printed map pieces meant to be cut out and stuck onto a wooden globe.

Honours

A rock in Antarctica named Waldseemüller Rock honors Martin Waldseemüller. It is located in Antarctica.