Almost exactly 400 years ago, the Toggenburg astronomer and clockmaker Jost Bürgi (1552–1632) published the “Arithmetic and Geometric Progress Tables” in a limited number of copies. However, it is a proven fact that Bürgi had already developed and written down these logarithm tables many years earlier—in particular, before the corresponding publication by John Napier (1550–1617), to whom the invention of logarithm tables is generally attributed. Jost Bürgi’s biographer, Fritz Staudacher, wrote an article in the journal Geomatik Schweiz (1-2/2020) to mark the anniversary.

Thanks to logarithmic tables, it became possible to simplify complex calculations in the field of astronomy. To improve accuracy—which was a key factor in Johannes Kepler’s breakthrough—Bürgi invented novel measuring instruments. His innovations were evident not least in mechanical celestial globes, a magnificent example of which has been preserved at the Swiss National Museum.

Image: Frontispiece with a portrait of Jost Bürgi, in: Benjamin Bramer: Apollonius Cattus, Kassel 1684. Zurich Central Library, Call number NE 1827: 1.