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| e5d459e | Earlier maps had underestimated the distances to other continents and exaggerated the outlines of individual nations. Now global dimensions could be set, with authority, by the celestial spheres. Indeed, King Louis XIV of France, confronted with a revised map of his domain based on accurate longitude measurements, reportedly complained that he was losing more territory to his astronomers than to his enemies. | cartology france humorous king-louis-xiv longitude | Dava Sobel | |
| 7d7296d | "In the wake of the Longitude Act, the concept of "discovering the longitude" became a synonym for attempting the impossible." | cartology longitude longitude-act | Dava Sobel |