The Erdapfel, whose name translates to "Earth Apple" in German, was created by Georg Glockendon the Elder, and is the world's oldest known terrestrial globe, completed in 1492 under the direction of Martin Behaim. This globe, approximately 21 inches in diameter, was constructed from a type of papier-mâché coated with gypsum and supported on a tripod, secured by iron hoops. The map drawings on the globe were painted onto parchment strips and then pasted around the sphere.
The Erdapfel features over 2,000 named locations, 100 pictorial illustrations, and numerous legends and banners, depicting a range of subjects from fabulous monsters and foreign lands to notable explorers like Marco Polo.
Not much is known of Georg Glockendon other than he belonged to a family of miniaturists, designers and woodblock cutters from Nürnberg, Germany. He was a consummate woodblock cutter, printer and painter, and one of the only known portraits is a possible self-portrait detailed in A Coat-of-Arms created in 1548.
This remarkable artifact represents a significant milestone in cartographic history, especially considering it was created nearly 500 years before the first captured image outside of Earth’s orbit, not to mention, 100 years before the invention of the first telescope.