The first person to try to create a three-dimensional model of the Earth was ancient Greek philosopher Crates of Mallus. In 150 BC, he presented his vision of the world order to society: on his globe, two oceans divided the earth’s sphere along and across the equator, washing the shores of four continents.
The globe has not survived to this day, but Crates’ hypothesis was one of the most authoritative for a very long time - more than a thousand years, until the research of scientists and the experience of travelers led cartographers to the understanding that the world does not look so schematic. Clearer ideas about the boundaries of continents, poles, and climate zones led to the creation of a new model of the Earth.
Martin Beheim was a prominent scientist in 14th century Germany. He gained his knowledge about the world from the great astronomers of his time and from long sea expeditions. So, in 1484, he, together with a team of Portuguese sailors, took part in a voyage that opened the lands of West Africa to the world. Subsequently, Beheim received the position of court cartographer and astronomer in Lisbon, and it was to him that Christopher Columbus came for advice before his main discovery in life.
Once in his native Nuremberg in 1490, the scientist met a passionate lover of travel and geographical science, Georg Holzschuer, a member of the local city council. Inspired by Beheim's stories about the African expedition, the official persuaded him to begin creating a globe that would display all the knowledge of modern cartography.
Work on the half-meter-long “Earth Apple,” as the scientist called it, dragged on for four long years. The clay ball, covered with parchment, was painted by a local artist from maps provided to him by Behaim. In addition to the borders of states and seas, the globe was marked with drawings of coats of arms, flags, and even images of African aborigines, exotic to a European. For the convenience of sailors and travelers, elements of the starry sky, meridians, the equator, the south and north poles were depicted.
There is no need to judge the accuracy of this globe - it was largely based on ancient Greek knowledge about the world, which is why the location of land objects on it is very approximate. Moreover, ironically, at the time of the creation of this model, Beheim's friend Columbus had not yet returned from his western expedition, so of all the existing continents, only Eurasia and Africa were indicated on the globe.
Nevertheless, the “Earthly Apple” is a unique exhibit that is of interest to historians, geographers, and anyone interested in learning about medieval science. To this day, Beheim's globe is the main attraction of the Nuremberg German National Museum.
What is the ancient Behaim globe famous for, who created it, when, and where, and who came up with the idea to create a round Earth? Around 1492, Martin Beheim introduced the world to the first globe, which was a metal circle with a diameter of 507 millimeters. Behaim's globe is famous for being the first model of the Earth; it contains a fairly accurate map of Europe, Asia and Africa. West Africa and America is not on the globe, because in those days they simply were not discovered. Many contemporaries are mistakenly of the opinion that Martin Beheim became famous for being the first to suggest that the Earth is spherical. But in fact, this assumption was made by Pythagoras in the 6th century BC.
What is Bayham's globe famous for?
Currently, Beheim's globe is located in Nuremberg, in the German national museum. The product is perfectly preserved; on the Internet you can find maps from this globe, which clearly show what stage humanity was at in the 15th century. There is also a large number of inscriptions on the globe, this is a real outline of the text with references to historical discoveries, for example, Marco Polo. The mention of this traveler, by the way, may indicate that the date of manufacture of the globe is greatly underestimated. Scientists are inclined to believe that Behaim's globe was actually made in the 17th century, or even earlier. late period. On the other hand, the inscriptions could have been made later.
The proportionality of Beheim's globe map is not true. However, there is an equator and meridians on the globe, the shape of the European continent more or less corresponds to the real one. For that time it was a big breakthrough, it is no wonder that the Germans are very proud of their celebrity.
The exhibit itself evokes a very reverent feeling, especially if you imagine how many hands famous people touched this Earthly Apple. In addition, the darkened globe looks like a real work of art, and the manufacturing method is highly respected.
Of course, it is possible that before Beheim’s globe there were other similar models of the Earth in the shape of a ball, but it is this particular specimen that has survived to this day. Many modern museums have copies of this globe. Also, anyone can buy a copy of Beheim's globe for their home, or a smaller miniature as a souvenir.
Some parapsychologists are also inclined to be of the opinion that this globe has some kind of magical power. Moreover, it partially depicts the signs of the Zodiac.
Since the Renaissance, the Earth was no longer considered a flat disk. Once again, as in antiquity, it was recognized as a spherical shape. Cartographers tried to somehow convey this in their two-dimensional images. However, only the spherical model allows for the preservation of angles and the correct representation of linear dimensions and areas.
Therefore, the invention of the “Earth Apple” in 1492 by Nuremberg native Martin Beheim became the Columbus egg of cartography.
However, the idea of making a spherical model of the Earth was not new. Already in 159 BC. The stoic Crates of Malossus created an earthly globe, which, however, did not correspond at all to reality in geographical details. Beheim tried to correctly depict the parts of the world known to him, and in relation to Europe, as well as large parts of Africa and Asia, he was quite successful.
With the advent of printing, knowledge began to spread quickly. Serial production of globes was not long in coming. From about 1500, globes, which were required to be light and strong, were made from papier-mâché, placed in wet into clay hemispheres. Then the ball was covered with a layer of plaster, polished and pasted over with segments of an earthly or celestial map. Today, most globes are made of plastic. Their diameter is about 30 cm. This gives a scale in relation to the original of approximately 1:40 million.
240 BC: The Greek Eratosthenes cleared the Earth's circumference as being 2,500 stadia (44,250 km).
Around 150: The Greek Ptolemy developed a grid of longitudes and latitudes.
1664: the globe of Adam Olearius with a diameter of 3.11 m. The structure was rotated using a hydraulic drive and had a door to go inside, where it was a celestial globe.
Planet Earth. View from space.
The caravel quickly cut through the heavy waves. The captain, having determined the position of the North Star and made calculations, bent over the globe - they had been sailing for many days, and only this globe and the stars could help determine where the ship was. Without a globe it is difficult to find the way to distant overseas countries. Many ships setting out on long voyages had a globe; it served as a map in those days. This continued until the 18th century. And then detailed sea charts and sailing directions appeared, and the globe lost its importance for navigation, but was very useful to schoolchildren. In the dictionary of the Russian language by S.I. Ozhegov we read: “The globe is a visual aid - a rotating model of the globe or other spherical celestial body.” Let us add that this model most correctly reflects and appearance The earth and the relationship of its parts.
Globes have been made since ancient times. Ancient writers mention Crates of Pergamum, who made a “globe of the earth” more than 2000 years ago. Unfortunately, no images of him have reached us. The oldest surviving globe is considered to be the “earth apple” with a diameter of 0.54 meters, created in 1492 by the German geographer Martin Beheim from Nuremberg. When working on the “apple,” he used materials famous traveler Marco Polo and the Portuguese who sailed along the coast of Africa. But there is no image of America on this globe, since it has not yet been discovered.
150 years have passed, and globes have become quite popular. In London, for example, pocket globes the size of an orange were sold relatively cheaply, on the inside of the hemispheres of which there was a map of the celestial bodies, that is, the globe was simultaneously a model of the Earth and the starry sky. 
Vintage globe.
Gradually, the design of the globe became more complex. In the 16th-18th centuries, a clock mechanism began to be used, with the help of which the globe rotated around an axis and it was possible to determine the time anywhere on the globe. Sometimes such a globe was accompanied by a model of the Moon moving around it, and then it served not only universal watch, but also the calendar. Many European monarchs considered it obligatory to have globes in their office, which were quite impressive in size, complex and richly decorated.
A unique globe with a diameter of about 3 meters is kept in St. Petersburg, which also serves as a planetarium. On outer surface It contains a map of the Earth, and on the inside there is a map of the starry sky. The history of this globe is interesting. In 1713, Peter I traveled through the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein (now German territory). During his trip he visited Gottorp Castle. There he was struck by a globe of unusual size - and feet in diameter (3 meters 19 centimeters). It was claimed that the globe was made under the guidance of the famous traveler and geographer Adam Olearius. In gratitude for the military assistance provided by Peter I, the guardian of the young duke presented the curiosity to the Russian emperor. This huge globe was transported to St. Petersburg, cutting through forest clearings. Subsequently, it was placed in the building of the newly built Kunstkamera, and after its opening in 1719, many people came to look at the amazing exhibit.
In 1747, a fire broke out in the Kunstkamera, and among the exhibits damaged by the fire was a gift from the Duke. All that was left of the globe were burnt metal constructions. Wanting to hide the true extent of the damage suffered from the royal court, the academy decided on its own to “build another ball of the same size as the first.” Several proposals were made, including by the famous mechanic-inventor Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov. In 1748, “compass master” Benjamin Scott and his assistant F.N. Tiryutin began work on his project. The work took 7 years, but, according to contemporaries, the new globe turned out to be “the best art ever.” Its map continued to be updated with the latest data related to geographical discoveries until the end of the 18th century. The ball was fixed on a metal axis, a table and a bench were installed inside, on which 10-12 people could sit to observe the movement of celestial bodies, like in a planetarium (on inner surface A star map was made on the globe).
In Russia, one of the first original globes was made at the end of the 18th - early XIX century Pskov deacon Karp Maksimov. The structure had a diameter of about 90 centimeters. This globe was probably given as a gift to the Russian Emperor, since until 1793 it was kept in the “Office of Peter the Great” in the Kunstkamera. M.V. Lomonosov, who headed the Geographical Department of the Academy of Sciences, paid great attention to the production of globes.
According to experts, the largest globe in the world is considered to be one made for the Paris Exhibition of 1899. Its diameter is 13 meters, and the length of the marked meridian is 40 meters, each millimeter corresponds to approximately a kilometer of the earth's surface. The weight of the globe was almost 10 tons (that’s what a modern bus weighs)! The globe rotated around its axis at a speed corresponding to the actual speed of rotation of the Earth. There were reliefs on it earth's crust, country borders, sea routes, railways, routes famous travelers and even mineral deposits are indicated.
A much smaller globe, but also very large, is kept in Denmark.
Originally it was a spherical tank for natural gas, but about 50 years ago one artist decided to paint on outer surface metal ball characteristic of our planet geographical symbols. The result was a huge globe.
Medieval scientist.
The giant globe was also created in our country. It stands on the astronomical platform of the Moscow Planetarium. A model of the globe, two and a half meters in diameter, is made of special materials developed specifically for this purpose. durable materials- fiberglass and polymers, painted with paints that are not afraid of precipitation (valleys - green, seas - blue, rivers - blue). 70 meters from the globe, on the roof of the building adjacent to the astronomical site, there is a second ball - this is a model of the Moon. Its diameter is 70 centimeters. These sizes were not chosen by chance. The result is a real mock-up Earth-Moon system, it is “only” 5 million times smaller than the real one.
If you have read M. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita,” then you probably remember the globe of the “prince of darkness” Woland. The globe lived the life of the Earth. If any part of it became filled with blood, it means that a war has begun at the corresponding point on the globe. If you looked closely, you could see all the details of the battles - destroyed houses, dead people. But such a globe is the fantasy of a brilliant writer. What kind of globes are there in reality? A wide variety of Earth models are produced. The most common are political, reflecting the modern territorial division of the world, and physical, showing the physical and geographical structure of the Earth. Particularly unique are the so-called relief globes with sculpted, convex surfaces of mountains and hills. And these small balls, showing our planet as only astronauts see it, will probably serve people for a long time.
The largest island in the world is Greenland.
The highest continent on Earth is Antarctica, where the ice thickness in some places exceeds 4 kilometers. If all this ice melted, the sea level would rise by 60 meters.
The stormiest place in the world is located on the island of Java; lightning flashes there 322 days a year.
Most high mountain The world's largest volcano is Mauna Kea in the Hawaiian Islands. Its base is located under water at a depth of 5500 meters, and the top rises 4300 meters above sea level. In total, the distance between the base and the top is 9800 meters.
What is the history of the creation of the globe?
The oldest globe that has come down to us was created in 1492 by the German scientist Beheim. He made it from calfskin, stretched tightly over metal ribs. Half the world is missing.
From another source
The works of ancient writers mention that a certain Crates of Malos, an ancient Greek philosopher, follower of Aristotle and keeper of the Pergamon Library, back in the 2nd century BC. e. made a model of the Earth in the shape of a ball.
Neither this model itself, nor any of its images have survived to this day, but those who saw this globe said that Crates drew a single land on the ball, dividing it into parts by intersecting rivers, which were called oceans.
Therefore, the very first, at least the oldest of all surviving globes, is considered to be a spherical model of the Earth with a diameter of 54 cm, created by the German geographer, traveler and mathematician Martin Beheim in 1492, now located in the museum of the city of Nuremberg.
On the Earthly Apple, which is what Beheim called his brainchild (globes, from the Latin globus ball, copies of the Earth began to be called later), geographical ideas about the surface of the Earth on the eve of the discovery of the New World were displayed, based on data taken from the world maps of the ancient Greek scientist Ptolemy, who lived in the 2nd century.
Soon after their appearance, globes, which provide the most accurate cartographic representations and are in great demand among scientists and sailors, began to appear in the palaces of monarchs, cabinets of ministers and simply fashionable houses in Europe, becoming a symbol of enlightenment.
Dutch globes made by the Amsterdam masters of Blaeu were especially popular. They also created the model of the Earth that was presented to the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1672, the first in Rus'. The most famous of all foreign models of the globe is the Gottorp globe with a diameter of 311 cm, made by the German scientist Adam Oelschlegel in 1664, and in 1713 presented to Peter I.
Inside it housed a planetarium. Modern globes, on which, in comparison with the first ones, images of new lands discovered since then appeared, have moved from the field of functional use mainly into the field of visual aids for schoolchildren.
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In 1672, the Netherlands sent a large globe to the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich as a gift. .
The St. Petersburg Lomonosov Museum has completed the restoration of the Gottorp globe-planetarium, which was the first exhibit of the Kunstkamera almost three centuries ago.
In the middle of the 17th century, a planetarium globe with a diameter of over 3 meters was made in the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein (Northern Germany). A map of the Earth was drawn on the outer surface of the globe, and a map of the starry sky on the inner surface. The stars were represented by gilded caps of copper nails. The ball had a fixed axis on which a wooden round table and a bench for 12 people.
In 1713 during Northern War Peter the Great, while at the theater of war in Holstein, received a planetarium globe as a gift. The globe became the first exhibit of the first Russian museum - the Kunstkamera.
PETROVSKY GLOBE
During the fire of 1747 it was badly damaged and was restored by masters Scott and Tiryutin. Later it was stored in a specially built room next to the Academy of Sciences, then in Tsarskoe Selo. During the Great Patriotic War The globe was taken to Germany by the Germans. After the war, the exhibit was discovered in the German city of Lübeck and returned to Leningrad by sea via Murmansk. The globe was in a deplorable state.
The canvas on which the earthly and celestial maps were drawn was torn in many places, the pictorial layer was damaged, and holes from rifle shots were discovered. In the post-war period, the globe was restored twice. But a comprehensive restoration of the globe was completed only this year. CONTINUATION IN Kommet..
