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Apr 19, 1543
Nicholas Copernicus
Copernicus publishes his book, "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium", about the heliocentric model of the Solar System. -
Johannes Kepler
Kepler publishes his book, "Astronomia nova", about the planetary laws of motion. He figured out that the planets move in ellipses, rather than circles. -
Galileo Galilei
Galileo dies in his home. He spent the last eight years of his life under house arrest after voicing his opinions on the heliocentric model, which the pope deemed unacceptable. -
Isaac Newton
Newton first publishes his book, "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", about how math relates to the laws of physics. He discovered the laws of gravity, created the first practical reflecting telescope, and is credited as being the father of calculus. -
Edmond Halley
Halley successfully predicts when a specific comet, now called Halley's comet, will be visible from Earth again. This helped shape our ideas about motion around Earth and the Solar System. -
Stephen Hawking
