Millions of people have learned about the world's people and places from
Goode's World Atlas. One of America's most studied atlases was named for its first editor, John Paul Goode (1862-1932), a highly respected American geographer, cartographer, and teacher. He was one of the most important American geographers of the early 20th century. Dr. Goode devised a useful map projection that changed the way maps were made thereafter.
Goode's Early Life and Education
John Paul Goode was born near Stewartville, Minnesota on November 21, 1862. He received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Minnesota in 1889 and a PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1903. He taught courses on geography, cartography, and natural science at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago. Perhaps most importantly, John Paul Goode knew how to teach others how to be excellent geography instructors.
Concerns with the Mercator Projection
Because John Paul Goode knew how students best learn geography, he was concerned that many students would be confused by maps that displayed the
Mercator projection. The Mercator projection was developed in 1569 by a Flemish cartographer to aid navigators on their voyages. However, it shows some land masses such as Greenland and Antarctica to be much larger than they actually are. At the 1908 meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Goode described the Mercator Projection as "evil." Goode knew that a different map projection would better instruct present-day students in classrooms.
Goode's Interrupted Homolosine Projection
Goode worked for many years with some of his university students to develop a world map that would accurately show the sizes and shapes of the Earth's landmasses. Around 1916, he fused the Homolographic and Sinusoidal projections and devised what he called the
Homolosine projection. Goode "interrupted" the oceans on the map to make the landmasses appear less distorted. Maps with the Homolosine Projection are sometimes described as looking like flattened orange peels. In addition, unlike many previous American cartographers, Goode did not place the United States at the center of the map. The Homolosine projection was used often in the 1960s.
Goode's Excellent Atlas
One of John Paul Goode's chief personal and professional goals was to create an atlas that students would enjoy studying, both in school and for pleasure at home. He created many maps and assembled them in one book. Rand McNally published the first edition of Goode's School Atlas in 1923. The name of the atlas eventually changed to Goode's World Atlas. The atlas, currently in its 22nd edition, is updated every few years and includes accurate and understandable political, physical, and thematic maps produced by the latest cartographic technology. It is still used in many high school and college geography courses. Geographers who now work decades after Goode's death continue to perfect Goode's namesake atlas.
Additional Achievements of John Paul Goode
John Paul Goode had many more accomplishments over the course of his career. He edited many geography books and maps. He was the featured speaker at many meetings across the country and was known for thoroughly explaining geography with detailed maps and graphs. He was regarded as an expert in economic geography. He studied the development of several world port cities such as Chicago. Goode had a particular interest in Eastern Asia, and he taught and traveled in Japan, China, and the Philippines. John Paul Goode died on August 5, 1932, at the age of 69, after being ill for several years.
Respectable Leadership
John Paul Goode devoted his career to making geography a simpler and more enjoyable subject to learn. Goode's revolutionary cartographic techniques and his devotion to geographic education are inspiring. This brilliant geographer is also remembered as a helpful and worldly man. His contributions to the discipline of geography will always be honored in Goode's World Atlas.
