Gerhard Mercator
* 5 March 1512 in Rupelmonde (near Antwerp)
† 2 December 1594 in Duisburg
Gerhard Mercator was a famous 16th century cartographer and cosmographer. His maps and globes were more precise than any other ones in existence, and they were very popular with all kinds of customers, from courtiers to seafarers. They established standards that were to remain unsurpassed during the following two centuries. For example, the "Mercator projection" developed by Gerhard Mercator was the standard map projection for nautical purposes because of its ability to represent lines of constant course, which considerably simplified ocean navigation and is still in use today. The term "atlas", which describes a collection of geographical maps, was also coined by Mercator.
Mercator was the son of a cobbler. He went to university in Löwen, remaining there after his graduation to set up a business. This is where his career took off. In 1544, however, he was arrested and charged with heresy, under suspicion of holding protestant beliefs. This is probably what drove him and his family to relocate to Duisburg, a city famous for its tolerance of religious diversity, in 1552. It is also possible that he was offered a chair at the planned university, though he never lived to see it founded. Mercator spent the following 42 years in Duisburg and to this day he is the city's most famous citizen. After his death, Mercator's sons and grandsons continued his work.