The date generally given for the invention of logarithms is 1614, when John Napier published his Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio. What happened during those few years when science took an enormous leap forward, freed from excessively laborious calculations?
John Napier (1550–1617).
The rise of navigation and astronomy
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In 16th-century Europe, a combination of factors began to lay the groundwork for logarithms. The discovery of new sea routes and the growth of international trade encouraged navigation. Astronomy developed considerably, both as a scholarly discipline and through its more prosaic counterpart, astrology. At the time, many astronomers now known for their scientific advances also earned a living by casting horoscopes for crowned heads (see Tangente 169, 2016)!
