Abraham Ortelius

Abraham Ortelius was a cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer from Antwerp in the Spanish Netherlands. He is recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Along with Gemma Frisius and Gerardus Mercator, Ortelius is generally considered one of the founders of the Netherlandish school of cartography and geography. He was a notable figure of this school in its golden age and an important geographer of Spain during the age of discovery. The publication of his atlas in 1570 is often considered as the official beginning of the Golden Age of Netherlandish cartography. He was the first person proposing that the continents were joined before drifting to their present positions.

14 April 1527

Born on the same birth day (14 April): Abdullah Yusuf Ali • Abigail Breslin • Brian Adams (wrestler) • Christian Älvestam • David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes • Elizabeth Huckaby • Gloria Jean • John Sergeant (journalist) • José Eduardo González Navas • Juan Belmonte • Matti Lonkainen • Nikoloz Tskitishvili • Peter Capaldi • Rob McElhenney • Rod Steiger • Victor Borisov-Musatov