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1540
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer. He was the person who came up with the theory that the sun is what the planets revolve around. Said that the earth has a daily rotation. -
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon created a method for testing hypotheses. Scientists can test hypotheses to see if they are right or wrong. -
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei was the first person to report seeing the moons and rings of other planets through a telescope. He discovered the milky way. -
Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was the first modern philosopher. He was able to turn geometrical problems into algebra. -
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton discovered the 3 laws of motion. He also discovered gravity and developed calculus. -
John Locke
John Locke came up with the idea of natural law. He has two treaties, both based on individualism. He made the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. -
Montesquieu
Montesquieu was one of the people who supported individualism. "If the King did not have the right to rule, the people have the right to rebel". He wrote about how bad feudalism was. -
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was the chief editor of the encyclopedia. He also connected the newest scientific trends to radical philosophical ideas such as materialism. -
Voltaire
Voltaire wrote books about the authority that churches have. He also wrote about how terrible French political institutions were. He was against aristocracy, monarchy, and bureaucrats. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas in Social Contract heavily influenced the Declaration of Independence. He said that people would give up freedom for security by the government. He was appointed to the Second Continental Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence. -
James Watt
James Watt invented different types of steam engines. He created the term "horsepower" to show how efficient his engines were. He also created the first copying machine. -
Adam Smith
Adam Smith wrote almost 1,000 pages based on his observations of his inquiries of nature and the causes of the wealth of nations. He was against government intervention,. He also provided a blueprint for free markets and free trade. -
George Washington
George Washington was the leader of the American Army and they won the Revolutionary War. George Washington later was elected as the first president of the United States. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence and later established a bill for religious freedom. He was also the 3rd president of the United States. One of the founding fathers. -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart) was a classical composer of music. He composed over 600 pieces. Mozart was born into an already musically inclined family and is one of the most influential composers of the classical time period. -
Maximillien Robespierre
Maximillien Robespierre took away the power from the Committee of Public Safety of power and reauthorized the National Convention. He was the reason the french revolution failed. -
Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo was a Catholic priest. He was responsible for the Mexican War of Independence. His army consisted of over 40,000 people. -
Simon Bolivar
Simon Bolivar led a revolt against the Spanish colonial rule. He also created 2 treaties, the Manifiesto de Cartagena (“Cartagena Manifesto”) and the Carta de Jamaica (“Letter from Jamaica”). He wanted to make South America independent from Spain.