Person
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1515 - 1559
Leonard Digges (c.1515–c.1559) was an English mathematician and surveyor, credited with significant contributions to practical geometry, land surveying, and optical science. He authored works such as Tectonicon, Pantometria, and Prognostication Everlasting, which dealt with measurement, instruments, and astronomical calculations. Digges is often associated with the early development of the theodolite and has been linked, though with limited evidence, to the concept of the telescope before its official invention. His son, Thomas Digges, expanded on his father’s ideas and became known for promoting the Copernican heliocentric model in England. He designed theodolite.