1490
1490 is roughly when the first modern globe was made.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1490 fits
Why 1490 is special
Martin Behaim's Erdapfel predates Columbus's return and shows no American continent, with open ocean between Europe and Asia. It is the clearest surviving record of what educated Europeans believed the world looked like immediately before 1492.
Same number, different meanings
How 1490 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
Martin Behaim's Erdapfel predates Columbus's return and shows no American continent, with open ocean between Europe and Asia. It is the clearest surviving record of what educated Europeans believed the world looked like immediately before 1492.
- History
In 1490, a scheduled postal service was established between the Habsburg lands, the beginning of the Thurn und Taxis network (Europe).
- Geography
The Behaim globe shows Europe and Asia separated only by ocean. It survives as physical evidence of the geography Columbus was sailing on, and of how narrow the gap was thought to be.
1490 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (8)
- 1, 2, 5, 10, 149, 298, 745, 1490
- Prime factorisation
- 2 × 5 × 149
- Digit sum
- 14
- Digital root
- 5
Representations
- Decimal
- 1490
- Scientific notation
- 1.490 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M C D X C
MCDXC uses the subtractive pair XC: ten before a hundred — a hundred minus ten.
Binary
1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0
1 × 1,024 + 0 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 1 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,490
Octal
2 7 2 2
2 × 512 + 7 × 64 + 2 × 8 + 2 × 1 = 1,490
Hexadecimal
5 d 2
5 × 256 + d × 16 + 2 × 1 = 1,490
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 256 + 128 + 64 + 16 + 2 = 1,490.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 4 coils of rope, 9 hobbles
1 × 1,000 + 4 × 100 + 9 × 10 = 1,490. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
2 corner wedges + 4 vertical wedges (sixties place), 5 corner wedges (units place)
24 × 60 + 50 = 1490. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
Related numbers & connections
1490 is a year in the 15th century, in the 1490s.
The Behaim globe of about 1492 shows open ocean between Europe and Asia, recording exactly the geography Columbus sailed on.
View 1492 →Numbers Around Us
- appears inHistorical years
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
Other connections
- is associated with1492
why?
Strength 0.50, confidence "high".
History
In 1490, a scheduled postal service was established between the Habsburg lands, the beginning of the Thurn und Taxis network (Europe).
DocumentedHistoryGeography: EuropePeriod: 1490
Geography
The Behaim globe shows Europe and Asia separated only by ocean. It survives as physical evidence of the geography Columbus was sailing on, and of how narrow the gap was thought to be.
DocumentedGeographyGeography: NurembergPeriod: around 1492
Common questions
Is 1490 a prime number?
No, 1490 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1490?
The factors of 1490 are 1, 2, 5, 10, 149, 298, 745, 1490.
What is 1490 in Roman numerals?
1490 in Roman numerals is MCDXC. XC is subtractive: ten before a hundred — a hundred minus ten. Written additively it would be MCCCCLXXXX, which Roman inscriptions used freely — the strict subtractive form is a later convention.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 2 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026