Galileo Galilei
The father of observational astronomy, modern physics, the scientific method, and modern science.
Time line of Galileo's life:
- February 15, 1564 - Galileo is born
- September 5, 1581 - Enrolls in the University of Pisa, studying mathematics and natural philosophy
- 1586 - Publishes a book on the hydrostatic balance, gaining him attention among scholarly circles
- 1588 - Acquires a position as an art teacher at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, in Florence
- 1589 - Aquires a position as a mathematics chair
- 1591 – Galileo's father dies
- 1592 - Acquires a position at the University of Padua teaching geometry, mechanics, and astronomy
- August 13, 1600 - Virginia Galilei is born
- December 1613 - Forwards the theory that the ocean tides speed up and slow down according to the rotation of the Earth on its axis and its revolution around the sun, which he says supports the Copernican theory that the Earth goes around the sun.
- February 26, 1616 - Summoned before the Cardinal Bellarmine
- October 1623 - Publishes The Assayer
- February 1632 - Publishes Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
- April 12, 1633 - Is put on trial by the Inquisition. He is forced to recant his position on heliocentricism, but he is still sentenced to house arrest
- July 1638 - Publishes Two New Sciences, highly regarded as his best work
- January 8, 1642 - dies at age of 78
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.
-- Galileo Galilei