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Wilhelm Schickard
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Wilhelm Schickard

German astronomer, mathematician, and cartographer
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Quick Facts
Born:
April 22, 1592, Herrenberg, Württemberg
Died:
Oct. 24, 1635, Tübingen (aged 43)
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Wilhelm Schickard (born April 22, 1592, Herrenberg, Württemberg—died Oct. 24, 1635, Tübingen) was a German astronomer, mathematician, and cartographer. In 1623, he invented one of the first calculating machines. He proposed to Johannes Kepler the development of a mechanical means of calculating ephemerides (predicted positions of celestial bodies at regular intervals of time), and he contributed to the improvement of accuracy in mapmaking.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.