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Jan 1, 1500
A Shift in Thinking
During the 1500s, scientists began to question the science that had been strongly based off of religion and was running society. Using their own observations, new tools and instruments were being used for investigation to go through the scientific process. From there, conclusions could be drawn from various experiments. This would be known as the start of an era defined as the Scientific Revolution. -
Jan 1, 1543
The Heliocentric Theory
Nicholas Copernicus, an astronomer and mathematician of the late 1400s, published his own theory that stated the sun was the center of the universe. This is known as the heliocentric theory. This was a controversial way of thinking, for it went against what was widely accepted at the time. Before Copernicus, Ptolemy, the astronomer had the geocentric theory, being that the Earth was the center of the universe. It took many future scientists to persuade people of Copernicus's beliefs. -
Jan 1, 1543
"On the Fabric of the Human Body"
Andreas Vesalius disagreed with all the previous beliefs regarding the construction of the human body, so he pioneered a study that is now known as anatomy. In 1543, he wrote a seven volume book with intricate detail and description like nothing else at the time. Due to this, the price of the book was very high and so "The Epitome" was written at a much more affordable price since it had less illustrations. He wanted to be a physician and studied the bodies of the deceased as a doctor/professor. -
"Novum Organum"
Francis Bacon's work, the "Novum Organum" was published in 1620. It went through his main beliefs on scientific experimentation. These include his thoughts on the importance of observations and how scientific theories can only be further developed if there is an observation involved and repeated experiments. Also, instead of basing his truths on logic and reasoning, he relied solely on physical evidence towards his theories. -
Harvey and the Heart
In 1628, William Harvey published "De Moto Corbis" which was the first work to explain the circulation of blood around the heart. Harvey observed the heart and circulation of veins and arteries. This helped him to be able to explain what he wrote about in the book. -
Galileo and the Telescope
Galileo Galilei used the telescope to study the heavens. When he published his findings, which supported Copernicus's theory in 1632, he caused a large uproar due to the fact that his conclusions went against the Bible. This deemed the telescope as the "Devil's tool". Galileo then started the basis for the modern science of mechanics. He proved that when there's no friction in the air, objects all fall at the same rate. -
"Discourse on Method" and the Law of Refraction by Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes believed that all scientific knowledge should be studied together since it shares a common connection. He wrote the "Discourse on Method" in 1637 which also went into different believes he had including how all assumptions needed to be questioned and backed up with facts. He created the law of refraction to explain how light reflects off of different surfaces by using mathematics. -
The End of Descartes
Although Rene Descartes had many positive contributions to the Scientific Revolution, many of his beliefs went directly against the ways of the church. Therefore, he was forced to live in the Protestant kingdom of Sweden until he died on February 11, 1650. -
Chemistry's Beginning
Robert Boyle was the pioneer of chemistry and determined how pressure and temperature are factors that affect the space of which gas occupies. -
The Discovery of Bacteria
The first man to see bacteria was Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek. He built the first microscope in 1671, and used it to magnify different substances to better observe them and collect data to make drawings. These drawings would end up going to the Royal Society in London and published in the Royal Society's journal. -
Newton's Laws of Motion
Isaac Newton published the “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which was a book about the universal laws of gravity in 1687. Newton had a great influence on the people of his time including poet, Alexander Pope. -
Newton's Second Book on the Properties of Light
Newton got his second book, known as "Opticks", published in 1704. This book covered the properties of light such as reflections, refractions, colors, and inflextions. -
Calculus
German Gottfried Liebnitz and Isaac Newton developed calculus independently from one another during the mid seventeenth century. The study of calculus is crucial for understanding science. It consists of a number system that uses numbers that can act like zero such as irrational and infinitesimal numbers. Calculus is still studied today and is considered a very important math subject. -
The Discovery of Oxygen as an Element
Joseph Priestly was the chemist to discovered oxygen as an element in 1774. Antoine Lavoisier later had it named. -
Law of Conversion of Matter
Antoine Lavoisier discovered how matter can change form. This resulted in the law of conversion of matter. This law states how matter cannot be created or destroyed, but instead changes form. He also found when different substances combined at a rapid rate with oxygen, fire was produced.
