Matthias Ringmann

Matthias Ring (b. 1482 Eichhoffen (Alsace ); † 1511 Schlettstadt ) was a German philologist and humanist poet, who is responsible for the name of the continent America.

Ringmann published by Martin Waldseemüller, a renowned cartographer, 1507 Lorraine St. Didel a newly created map of the world, including a "Introduction to cosmography ." On a proposal from the ring 's two scholars named the newly discovered countries in the West after the first name of Amerigo Vespucci, although this only approached the honor to have discovered large parts of South America. This error could not be corrected in later years. Though still tried Simón Bolívar, at least to name the Latin American part of the continent after the name of its discoverer, but this resulted in the further course of history only to the current name of the State of Colombia. The name creation for the newly discovered continent was certainly chosen with so much feeling for the language that they began to gain unstoppable. On the basis of certain sources can be proved that was in scholarly circles, the name " America " already in use ten years later.

Ring man who called himself after Humanistengepflogenheit Philesius Vogesigena, taught as a Latin teacher at the high school in St. Dié Vosagense and developed in 1509 an educational card game " Grammatica Figurata " to illustrate Latin grammar. He thus entered into competition with his " archenemy " Thomas Murner, which is considered the inventor of didactic card games.