"Revised History: Decimal Point Usage Found to be 1.5 Centuries Older Than Previously Believed"

Glen Van Brummelen, a mathematical historian, has discovered evidence of a decimal point being used by a Venetian merchant, Giovanni Bianchini, in the 1440s, 150 years before its previously known use by Christopher Clavius. This finding suggests that the use of the decimal point to represent non-whole numbers occurred much earlier than previously thought, potentially influencing the development of math fundamentals. Bianchini's background as a merchant and his travels to places in the Islamic world may have influenced his use of non-whole numbers and ways to represent them more easily.