The Tudor Society
  • June 23 – Mathematician and physician Thomas Hood

    A silhouette of a man's side profile

    On this day in Tudor history, 23rd June 1556, mathematician and physician Thomas Hood was baptised at St Leonard Eastcheap.

    In 1588, Hood was invited to become Mathematical Lecturer to the City of London after Elizabeth I’s privy council decided, following the Spanish Armada, that military officers and naval commanders should have a better knowledge of mathematics. He lectured until 1592.

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  • March 5 – Mathematician William Oughtred

    Engraving of William Oughtred along with a photo of a ring sundial, which he is thought to have invented

    On this day in Tudor history, 5th March 1575, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, mathematician William Oughtred was baptised at Eton College, where his father, Benjamin, was registrar and writing master.

    Oughtred is responsible for developing a straight slide-rule, a gauging rod and various sundials. He also introduced the “×” symbol for multiplication and the abbreviations “sin” and “cos” for the sine and cosine functions.

    Let me tell you a bit more about him…

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  • June 18 – The inventor of the = sign

    On this day in Tudor history, 18th June 1558, the will of Welsh mathematician, physician and mint administrator Robert Recorde was proved.

    Robert Recorde was the inventor of the “=” sign and wrote books on mathematics. Interestingly, he also wrote a urological treatise “The Urinal of Physick”.

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  • 23 June – A doctor and mathematician

    23rd June is the anniversary of the baptism of Thomas Hood, a Tudor doctor and mathematician, on 23rd June 1556, in the reign of Mary I.

    Find out about this talented Tudor man in this edition of #TudorHistoryShorts...

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  • 18 June – Robert Recorde, his urinal and the equals sign

    Yes, you read that title right! On this day in Tudor history, 18th June 1558, the will of Welsh mathematician, physician and mint administrator Robert Recorde was proved.

    Recorde invented the “=” sign and wrote books on mathematics and also a urological treatise “The Urinal of Physick”.

    Let me tell you all about this man and his works, which have such catchy titles!

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  • Robert Recorde

    On this day in history, 18th June 1558, the will of Robert Recorde, the Welsh mathematician, physician and mint administrator, was proved. His date of death is not known, but he is thought to have died in mid-June 1558.

    Recorde is known for introducing the “equal to” sign, i.e. “=”. He published several mathematical works, including The Grounde of Artes, teachings the Worke and Practise, of Arithmeticke, both in whole numbers and fractions in 1543, which was the first book on Algebra published in England, and The Whetstone of Witte, whiche is the seconde parte of Arithmeteke: containing the extraction of rootes; the cossike practise, with the rule of equation; and the workes of Surde Nombers, in which he introduced the “=” sign.

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  • Thomas Hood (1556-1620)

    Thomas Hood, the mathematician and physician, was baptised on this day in history, 23rd June 1556, at St Leonard Eastcheap. It was usual for children to be baptised within a few days of birth so he was also born in June 1556. His father was merchant taylor Thomas Hood.

    Hood was educated at the Merchant Taylor’s School and then Trinity College, Cambridge, gaining his BA in c.1578 and his MA in 1581. In 1585, he was granted a licence to practise medicine by Cambridge University. In late 1588, he became Mathematical Lecturer to the City of London and he lectured on the subject until 1592. His biographer, H.K. Higton, writes of how “In the aftermath of the Spanish armada of 1588, concern for a greater knowledge of the mathematical sciences among military officers and naval commanders was voiced by members of the privy council” and that was the reason Hood was employed to lecture on mathematics.

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