Claudius Ptolemy
Ancient astronomer + geographer
Greco-Roman scholar working in Alexandria (c. 100-170 CE).
Put together the most influential WRONG astronomy textbook in history — the Almagest, placing Earth at the center of the universe with everything orbiting it. Dominated astronomy for ~1,400 years until Copernicus politely demolished it. Columbus set sail relying on Ptolemy's underestimate of Earth's circumference.
Famous for
- Almagest (geocentric astronomy)
- Geography (atlas + coordinates)
- Tetrabiblos (astrology)
- Ptolemaic system + epicycles
In Rubicon
Claudius Ptolemy is one of the historical characters you can play as in Rubicon, a trivia game where you answer in your own words and an AI judge reads what you meant. Claudius Ptolemy is filed under Earth & Space, and is strongest at Earth & Space and Geography & Places.
Others in Earth & Space
- Caroline Herschel — First paid female astronomer
- Maria Mitchell — First American woman astronomer
- Tycho Brahe — Master of the naked-eye sky
- Eratosthenes of Cyrene — Measured the Earth
- Annie Jump Cannon — Classified the stars