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Feb 19, 1473
Nicolaus Copernicus is Born
Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland. He is one of the best known astronomers in the scientific revolution and is often referred to as "the founder of modern astronomy". He used to make observastions in the sky, before the invention of telescopes, without help from anyone and was also the one to develop comprehensive heliocentric cosmology. -
Period: Feb 19, 1473 to
The Scientic Revolution
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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus Discovers the New World
Christopher Columbus discovers the New World while looking for the Silk Road. He was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer that brought three ships on his boyage, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. His expedition proved that the earth was round. -
Sep 20, 1517
Luther Starts the Reformation
20 Sep 1517 The Protestant Reformation began when Martin Luther wrote the the 95 thesis and nailed those to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This became one of the most important events in the development of the world as we know it today. -
Dec 13, 1545
Council of Trent/Counter-reformation begins
The Council of Trent Counter-reformation begins. The 16th century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church was held in Trent between 1545 and 1563 and was considered to be one of the church's most important councils. It was delayed because of religious and political disagreements but was still very sucessful. -
Giordano Bruno burned at the stake
Giordano Bruno was found guilty for heresy for his cosmological ideas and was burned at the stake in the Campo de' Fiori, a central Roman market square. His ashes were later dumped into the Tiber river. -
Galileo's discoveries with the telescope
Galileo was an Italian physicist and astronomer who played a major role in the scientific revolution. He was credited with building the first effective telescope ever known and he used it to prove that the earth revolved around the sun. However, this theory went directly against the teachings of the church since they thought the earth was the center of the Universe and the sun revolved around the earth. Galileo discovered the four big moons of Jupiter, and the phases of Venus. -
Thirty Years War Begins
One of the most devastating European wars, the thirty years war, breaks out. It began with a comflict between German Catholics and German Protestants but eventually turned into a political war that involved all parts of Europe at one time or another. This war was mainly fought in what is now known as Germany and killed about half of the population that lived there. -
Trial of Galileo
In the 1633 trial of Galileo Galilei, Galileo is forced to retract his thories. His world of science and humanism collide, marking the end of the Italian Renaissance as well as his liberty. He was condemned to house arrest and monitored for the rest of his life. -
Newton announces his theory of Colors
Newton's Theory of Color established that white light was heterogeneous. Using a prism, Newton discovered that white light was actually the composition of a spectrum of colors. From this, he discovered that objects do not generate color but instead, they get that color from interacting with color light. To prove the prism was not coloring the light, he refracted the light back. -
Newton publishes Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica
Isaac Newton's Principia is published. The Principia discusses Newton's very famous ideas including his laws of motion, first and last ratios, and as well as the idea of gravity caused by weight (compared to the Earth and the moon). His laws of motion explain that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction, acceleration is directly related to extra force and the idea of inertia.