The Surprising Drama Behind the Decimal Point - When german mathematician Christopher Clavius introduced the world to the humble decimal point in 1593, he used it in one table, and never mentioned it or used it again.

When german mathematician Christopher Clavius introduced the world to the humble decimal point in 1593, he used it in one table, and never mentioned it or used it again.

- By J.A. - image from Getty Images

When german mathematician Christopher Clavius introduced the world to the humble decimal point in 1593, he used it in one table, and never mentioned it or used it again.

Clearly, the decimal point is incredibly important to the way we do math today. So, why did Clavius abandon such a monumental discovery so soon after making it?

Because he'd stolen it.

Well, "stole" may imply a bit more malice than is necessary. Let's not read motive into 14th century mathematicians. But according to a paper published in the journal Historia Mathematica, Clavius actually likely imported the decimal point into his own work when referencing the work of Italian merchant and mathematician Giovanni Bianchini from the 1440s-work that had been done almost 150 years earlier.