English mathematician who laid claim to the invention of the octant, the sextant's direct forerunner, around 1731, two years after Thomas Godfrey claimed the same principle independently. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Connections
Held Differently
Sextant, Inventions Why this is disputed. Independently claimed the same octant/sextant principle circa 1731 alongside Thomas Godfrey (co-claimant not wired to a separate entity this pass; recorded as a gap).
Source Sextant (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. John Hadley (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
John Hadley (16 April 1682 - 14 February 1744) was an English mathematician, and laid claim to the invention of the octant, two years after Thomas Godfrey claimed the same.
Sextant (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInvented: Sextant, History section (inventor attribution)Quote, Invented: Sextant, History section (inventor attribution)
The principle of the instrument was first implemented around 1731 by John Hadley and Thomas Godfrey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented the octant, and was the claim disputed?
Hadley claimed the octant around 1731, two years after Thomas Godfrey claimed the same principle.
John Hadley, an English mathematician, laid claim to the invention of the octant, the sextant's direct forerunner, around 1731. The claim was contested because Thomas Godfrey had claimed the same principle independently two years earlier.
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