an Americanized Scottish geologist, cartographer and philanthropist. He is known as the 'father of American geology' and as a social experimenter on new types of community life, collaborating with British social reformer Robert Owen, (1771–1854), in Indiana, Un...

an Americanized Scottish geologist, cartographer and philanthropist. He is known as the 'father of American geology' and as a social experimenter on new types of community life, collaborating with British social reformer Robert Owen, (1771–1854), in Indiana, United States. Maclure had a highly successful mercantile career, making a fortune that allowed him to retire in 1797 at the early age of 34 to pursue his scientific, geological and other interests. In 1809 he made the earliest attempt at a geological map of the United States of America.

a French astronomer and surveyor who, with Charles Messier, was a major contributor to the early study of deep sky objects and comets. He participated in the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) to measure by trigonometry the precise distance between the Paris Ob...

a French astronomer and surveyor who, with Charles Messier, was a major contributor to the early study of deep sky objects and comets. He participated in the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) to measure by trigonometry the precise distance between the Paris Observatory and the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

He came from a wealthy and well-connected family in Milan, and like many gentleman scholars of his day, he had a keen interest in geography. Thanks to his connections in high places, Monte met with the first official Japanese delegation to visit Europe when they came to Milan in 1585. Perhaps as a result, his depiction of Japan contains many place names that...

He came from a wealthy and well-connected family in Milan, and like many gentleman scholars of his day, he had a keen interest in geography. Thanks to his connections in high places, Monte met with the first official Japanese delegation to visit Europe when they came to Milan in 1585. Perhaps as a result, his depiction of Japan contains many place names that don’t appear on other Western maps of the time. Like many mapmakers of the era, Monte had a tendency to fill in the empty spaces on his map. Animals roam the land, and his oceans teem with ships and monsters.