¶ Large Patterns (1)
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Index Entry
In February 1943 when LIFE brought out the dymaxion map, they were suspicious that I had perhaps ‘just rediscovered’ an earlier cartographic projection process. They brought in a Dr. Borgs from the State Department Map Division-- he was the head of the American geographers-- and he assured them that my map was just ‘pure invention’, which is to say that I just sort of ‘fudged’ it; anyway, he meant the term as a very derogatory appraisal and he concluded that I must be totally ignorant of the mathematics of cartography. (Ironically, his dismissal of my work served me in good stead as my patent attorney cited him as an authority for the map’s originality when I applied for, and was granted, a patent for my dymaxion map.) LIFE’s issue with the map was there first press run to go over two million and it was completely exhausted immediately. … at the time there were two Australians passing through New York on some secret mission connected with the war: they were on the way to see Churchill and Luce wanted them to take him a copy of my map. When I took the map over to their hotel I showed them how to assemble it. I put it together
