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240 BCE
Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes discovered that the Earth is a sphere. He was also the first person to use the word geography. He calculated longitude and latitude. This made directions easier to understand and opened easier methods of trade. -
150 BCE
Claudius Ptolemy
Ptolemy thought that the Earth was the center of the universe. This gave us a start of how the universe actually might be, -
1543
Nicolaus Copernicus
He created Heliocentrism which is a model where Earth and planets revolve around the sun. It was still inaccurate, however it showed the world what was actually the center of the universe, -
1572
Tycho Brahe
He made accurate observations of the stars and planets. His study of the "new star" showed it was further away than the moon. It was one of the fixed stars. This showed us that there are more stars than were originally thought. -
Johannes Kepler
Kepler is best known for his Laws of Planetary Motion. This helps astronomers and scientists to better understand the relation between planets and the sun. -
Sir Isaac Newton
Newton created the laws of motion. This helps us to better understand how objects and humans work. As well as astronomers to better understand why everything in the universe is always moving. -
Albert Einstein
Einstein thought space and time were intertwined in an infinite "fabric". This is known as the Theory of Relativity. Moving through space = moving through time. I don't know if this would be important because this theory might not be accurate. However it definitely makes people think.