Mahmoud Bey al-Falaky (محمود حمدي الفلكي ; 1885 - 1815), born Amin Sabbagh (صباغ أمين), was an Egyptian cartographer, astronomer, and government official in the Khedivate. In fact, his honorary title literally translates to 'Mahmoud Bey, the astronomer' (الفلكي). Born in Gharbia in the heart of the Nile Delta, he moved to Alexandria as a child with his older brothers and received primary education. He then trained at the Naval Arsenal School (مدرسة الترسانة البحرية) established by Mohammed Ali Pasha, learning shipbuilding from French and Italian teachers, and completing his training in 1833. He then attended the Polytechnic School (مدرسة البوليتكنيك), graduating first in his class and then becoming a mathematics teacher at the School of Engineering (مدرسة المهندسخانة) in Boulaq (Cairo) and undertook an intensive study of astronomy. Having gained fluency in French, he had access to the latest European publications on mathematics and astronomy, and used them to establish a state-of-the-art observatory. He became a trusted expert for the Khedivate, determining latitude and longitude for usage on maps of the Nile Delta that were used to determine tax obligations. In 1850, he and several other Egyptian scientists were sent on a mission to France, and spent most of the next decade in Europe, continuing his astronomical and cartographic studies and producing the most advance map of northwestern Europe in Arabic to date. On returning to Egypt in 1859, he oversaw a newly-constructed observatory in Abbassia (Cairo), became a member of the Egyptian Scientific Academy, and became president of the Egyptian Geographical Society. In 1860, he gained international attention for his notes on observations of a solar eclipse made from northern Sudan. Late in his career, Mahmoud al-Falaky undertook additional roles with the Egyptian government, including studies on flood control and irrigation on the Nile, and eventually rose to Minister of Works in 1882 and then serving as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education. He continued to publish works, including on the Arabic calendar, the history of ancient Alexandria, and other topics. More by this mapmaker...

Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus (May 4, 1772 - August 20, 1823) was a German publisher and editor. He was born in Dortmund and from 1788 - 1793 apprenticed at a mercantile concern in Düsseldorf. He subsequently studied language and literature at the University of Leipzig, then went on to establish a Dortmund-based concern importing and selling English goods. He developed his business in Amsterdam for a time before economic pressures forced him to close. He turned to publishing, founding 'F. A. Brockhaus', in 1805. The firm was initially based in Amsterdam, but in 1811 relocated to Altenburg, Germany, then, in 1818, to Leipzig. There he established a large printing house dedicated to encyclopedias, scientific publications, and literature. Friedrich Arnold died in Leipzig in 1823, but the business was taken over by his sons, Friedrich Brockhaus (1800 - 1865), who retired in 1850, and Heinrich Brockhaus (1804 - 1874), under whom it was considerably extended. Their most significant publication was the Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, also known as Der Grosse Brockhaus. In 1953, after World War II (1939 - 1945), its Leipzig operations were nationalized by East Germany. Its West German successor established itself in Wiesbaden. Following German reunification, corporate headquarters were moved to Munich. The firm continues to publish as F. A. Brockhaus AG. Learn More...