Wilhelm Schickard

German inventor, mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer

• Born: April 22, 1592
• Birthplace: Herrenberg, Württemberg (now in Germany)
• Died: October 24, 1635
• Place of death: Tübingen, Württemberg (now in Germany)

Schickard was the first individual to construct an automated calculating, or adding, machine; was one of the first strong advocates of the laws of planetary motion that had been proposed by Johannes Kepler; and employed fundamental principles of cartography to produce some of the seventeenth century’s most accurate geographical maps.

Early Life

Not much is known about the early life of Wilhelm Schickard (SHEE-kahrd). Born near Tübingen in what is now Germany, Schickard chose to attend the University of Tübingen, graduating in 1609 at age seventeen with a bachelor of arts degree in theology. Continuing his education at the University of Tübingen, Schickard earned in 1611 his master of arts degree in theology and oriental languages. He remained studying at Tübingen until 1613, when he took a position as a pastor in a Lutheran church near the town. From 1613 until 1619, Schickard served as a pastor in various communities around Tübingen.

While serving as a minister, Schickard developed some of his skills working with wood and metals. He became well known in Würrtemberg for his wood carvings, copper-plate designs, and abilities as a mechanic. He also expanded his interests into astronomy, mathematics, and geography.

In 1619, Schickard received an appointment at the University of Tübingen as a professor of Hebrew. Until 1631, he taught biblical languages and Bible studies at the university. During his early years at Tübingen as a student and as a professor, Schickard befriended astronomy professor Michael Mästlin, who was the chair of astronomy at the university. When Mästlin died in 1631, Schickard was appointed as a professor of astronomy and succeeded Mästlin as the chair of astronomy.

Life’s Work

Schickard devoted the major part of his life to teaching, researching, and inventing practical devices. At various times during his career at the University of Tübingen, Schickard taught Hebrew, Asian languages, mathematics, astronomy, geography, meteorology, and optics. He is most famous for his invention of the first automated calculating machine, although he did not receive credit for the invention until the mid-1900’s.

As a young professor at Tübingen, Schickard developed a keen interest in astronomy and mathematics and became a friend and correspondent with astronomerJohannes Kepler and a number of other prominent scientists of the time. Schickard prepared diagrams and illustrations for Kepler’s book Harmonices mundi (partial translation as Harmonies of the World , 1952), which concentrated on Kepler’s third law of planetary motion. Some key letters and drawings that Schickard sent to Kepler in 1623 and 1624 were discovered among Kepler’s papers and other belongings in 1935, but again were lost, this time during World War II. In 1956, the papers and other artifacts were “discovered” once more, this time in Stuttgart, Germany. The letters and drawings divulge Schickard’s invention of the first automated calculating (adding) machine in 1623.

In his letter written to Kepler on September 20, 1623, Schickard described his machine and suggested that it could be used to calculate astronomical tables. He had purportedly built a prototype calculator for his own use and promised Kepler that he would make one for him as well. His letter written to Kepler on February 25, 1624, contained a complete description and drawings of the calculator. He also explained that the calculator he planned for Kepler had been destroyed in a fire at the home of a hired worker. Evidently, the plans for his calculator and the prototype model were lost during the Thirty Years’ War, which broke out after Schickard’s death.

Schickard apparently became intrigued with the possibility of making a mechanical calculating machine to carry out automated calculations associated with astronomical observations after he read the paper published in 1617 by mathematicianJohn Napier, the inventor of logarithms. Napier’s paper discussed using calculating rods to form a calculating device that was referred to as “Napier’s Bones.” Schickard combined parts of this device with a mechanism that would carry the tens encountered when doing addition and subtraction. Schickard’s machine used the device to perform multiplication and division. The lower half of the calculator employed a direct gear drive with rotating wheels to do addition and subtraction of numbers that contained up to six digits. Schickard referred to his invention as the calculating clock because it could calculate the times associated with the locations of planetary bodies.

From Schickard’s drawings that were rediscovered in 1956, Bruno Baron Von Freytag Loringhoff, a professor at the University of Tübingen, built in 1960 a working model of Schickard’s automated calculating machine. Until that time, credit for the first automated calculating machine had typically been ascribed to Blaise Pascal, who invented the less-versatile Pascaline calculator in 1642. Although Schickard invented his machine first, the Pascaline was the first adding machine to be produced in any quantity and the first to be used by individuals other than the inventor. Neither the machine invented by Schickard nor the one by Pascal was programmable. It would take about two hundred years for Charles Babbage to conceive a programmable calculator, in 1823.

Another significant undertaking of Schickard was the making of accurate geographical maps. His insights into the fundamental principles of cartography led to the production of the most accurate maps possible at that time. In 1629, he explained their construction and advocated their usage, particularly in surveying applications. Using his maps, he surveyed much of Würrtemberg.

Pursuing his astronomical interests in the late 1620’s and early 1630’s, Schickard invented a handheld planetarium similar to an orrery, a device that shows the relative positions and motions of bodies in the solar system by rotating and revolving a system of balls with respect to each other. He also invented an instrument that calculated astronomical dates. Schickard also saw a lunar ephemeris, observed the comets of 1618, described meteors, and described the transit of Mercury in 1631.

Schickard died of the plague at the relatively young age of forty-three on October 24, 1635. The Wilhelm Schickard Institute of Information at the University of Tübingen, the Wilhelm Schickard Institute for Computer Science at Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, and the Wilhelm Schickard Museum of Computing History at Concordia University (in Wisconsin) were all named in his honor.

Significance

Because of his invention of the first automated calculating machine, Schickard rightfully can be referred to as the “father of the modern computing era.” His invention had many very important ramifications. Finding a way to automatically carry tens when doing addition or subtraction was a great time saver. During Schickard’s time, calculations were done by hand. People who knew how to count and calculate were highly valued. Large numbers of these “human calculators” were employed by small and large businesses. Schickard was aided in his invention by his understanding of how to apply gear technology in practical machines, something known by very few people at that time. His inventions using gears inspired others to develop that technology in other applications.

At the time, Schickard’s development of accurate maps was perhaps as important as was his automated calculating machine. Applications included more precise routes of travel and accurate surveying of land for real estate transactions and for boundary disputes. His handheld planetarium was used to clarify and advocate Kepler’s laws of planetary motion, providing a much clearer, more understandable explanation of planetary astronomy, and it was incorporated into university instruction.

Bibliography

Asimov, Isaac. How Did We Find Out About Computers? New York: Walker, 1984. Asimov tracks the history of the development of the computer, from the abacus through mechanical calculating machines such as that of Schickard to modern electronic technology. Good index.

Aspray, William, ed. Computing Before Computers. Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1990. A survey of the concepts, technology, purpose, and impact of computing devices that were developed prior to the electronic digital computer, including the mechanical calculator invented by Schickard. Good bibliography and index.

Grattan-Guinness, Ivor. Companion Encyclopedia of the History and Philosophy of the Mathematical Sciences. Vol. 1. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. This work examines Schickard’s contribution to the development of automation in performing mathematical calculations. Illustrations, bibliography, and an extensive index.

Ifrah, Georges. The Universal History of Numbers. Translated by David Bellos, E. F. Harding, Sophie Wood, and Ian Monk. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2000. This book traces the history of numbers from prehistoric times up to the invention of the computer, noting Schickard and his place in the history of manipulating numbers. Extensive index.

Seck, Friedrich, ed. Briefwechsel. Stuttgart, Germany: Frommann-Holzboog, 2002. A compilation of Schickard’s writings that reveal his contributions to developments in astronomy, mathematics, and cartography. Extensive bibliography and index, as well as illustrations. In German.

Williams, Michael R. A History of Computing Technology. 2d ed. Los Alamitos, Calif.: IEEE Computer Society Press, 1997. An outline of the historical developments in computing technology that focuses on the physical devices that were developed to automate arithmetic operations, including Schickard’s calculating clock. Good index and bibliography.