-
4 BCE
Aristotle explained the geocentric theory
-
168
Ptolemy supported the geocentric theory
-
1543
Nicolaus Copernicus reasoned the heliocentric theory
-
1543
Andreas Vesalius published On The Fabric of The Human Body- detailing dissection of the human bodies
-
Zacharias Janssen invented the microscope
-
The Baroque period began in art, music, and architecture (Bach and handel were composers)
-
Galileo developed the law of the pendulum
-
Johannes Kepler published the first two laws of planetary motion
-
Francis Bacon published Novum Organum which encouraged the experimental method
-
John Locke explained his theory of ¨natural rights¨ (life, liberty, and property)
-
Galileo was put under house arrest by an inquisition for supporting Copernicus´s theory
-
Rene descartes published Discourse on Method which set forth his reasoning
-
Evangelista Torricelli developed the first mercury barometer
-
William Harvey showed that the heart acted as a pump to circulate blood throughout the body
-
Thomas Hobbes published Leviathan - social contract (people give up rights to a strong ruler who maintains order)
-
Robert Boyle created Boyles´s law
-
Anton van Leeuwenhoek saw red blood cells for the first time
-
Isaac Newton published his law of gravity
-
Mary Astell wrote A Serious Proposal to the Ladies - addressing the lack of educational opportunities for women
-
Gabriel Fahrenheit made the first thermometer to use mercury in glass
-
Francois-Marie Arouet changed his name to Voltaire and goes on to champion individual freedoms
-
The enlightened despot, Frederick II, began his rule of Prussia
-
Anders Celsius created a scale for the mercury thermometer
-
Montesquieu published On the Spirit of Laws - detailing separation of powers in government
-
Emilie du Chatalet (a mathematician and physicist) translated Newton´s work from Latin into French
-
Mary-Therese Geoffrin held her first salon of philosophes
-
The Classical Period began in art, music, and architecture (Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven were composers
-
Denis Diderot published the first volume of the Encyclopedia - a collection of enlightened thinkers works
-
Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote The Social Contract - free individuals create a society and government
-
The enlightened despot, Catherine the Great, began her rule of Russia
-
Cesare Beccaria published On Crimes and Punishments - railing against common abuses of justice
-
Antoine Lavoisier discovered and named gas oxygen
-
Joseph priestly discovered oxygen
-
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence
-
The U.S. enacted the Constitution - establishing a federal system, separation of powers, checks and balances
-
The U.S. Congress added the Bill of Rights ( first 10 amendments) to the Constitution
-
The enlightened despot, Joseph II, began his rule Austria
-
Edward Jenner introduced a vaccine to prevent smallpox
