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Feb 15, 1564
Galileo is born
Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He was the first of six children born to Vincenzo Galilei and Giulia Ammannati. Galileo's father was a lutenist, composer, and music theorist. This is important because Galileo would become the inventor of the telescope, discoverer of Jupiter's 4 moons, the Moon's craters, and sunspots, as well as many other things. (Bio online) -
Apr 23, 1564
William Shakespeare is born
William Shakespeare's parents are John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. Though his actual date of birth is not known, it is traditionally observed on April 23, 1564. He was the third child and the eldest son of the couple who had eight offspring. Shakespeare being born is important, because he would grow up to be considered the greatest writer and poet of all time. (Grun, 248) -
1582
Stumbles into a math lecture
In 1582, Galileo stumbles into the lecture that changed his life. Before this, he had been studying medicine, like his dad wanted him to do. Mathematics seemed so much more interesting than medicine he thought, and he quickly realized that mathematics seemed to play a crucial role in understanding and explaining our world. This is important, because it started Galileo on the journey to become a world-famous mathematician and physicist. (Famousscientists) -
Queen Elizabeth refuses sovereignty of the Netherlands
In 1584, Queen Elizabeth refused the sovereignty of the Netherlands. After the assassination of William the Silent, the desperate Dutch offered sovereignty over the country to Elizabeth I and were refused. Elizabeth I spent nearly the entirety of her reign attempting to stay out of European wars, so, it doesn't surprise me that she didn't take the Dutch throne, as it would be like saying ‘come invade England!’ This is important because it separated the English and Dutch thrones (Grun, 258) -
Pochahontas is born
Pocahontas was a Native American woman born around 1595. She was the daughter of the powerful Chief Powhatan, chief of around 30 tribes at his strongest. Pochahontas fell in love with the english settler of Jamestown, John Smith. This changed alot between the settlers and the indians, as their marrage started a large time of piece between the two, which never whould've happened if it wasn't for Pochahontas being born. (Grun, 277) -
Jamestown is founded
On May 14, 1607, the colony of Jamestown was founded. Jamestown is the first permanent colony of the US. The founding of Jamestown is important because it sparked the colonization of America. The colonization of America further led to countries from all around the world making colonies, further leading to a whole new world of diverse beliefs, religions, etc. shaping America to what it is today. (Grun, 267) -
Hears about the invention of a magnifying spyglass
In 1609, Galileo hears about the invention of a spyglass that makes things far away seem closer. This spyglass, created by Hans Lippershey, who, in 1608, claimed that his device could magnify objects three times. When Galileo Galilei heard about this invention, he within days, designed one of his own, improving it to magnify objects by a whopping 20 times! This is important because hearing about the glass was Galileo’s incentive to try to make his own telescope. (Britannica) -
Presents his own telescope
In 1610, Galileo presents his telescope to the world. Galileo took the invention of the spyglass, and completely changed it to be a lot better, all without ever seeing one. The making and presenting of his telescope was probably his most notable accomplishment. This is important because it gained him popularity and fame, which helped him get the word out about his discoveries. (Fermi, 50-51) -
Discovers Jupiter's 4 moons, sunspots, and the moon's craters
Throughout 1610, Galileo made a bunch of discoveries thanks to his telescope. In this year, he discovered sunspots on the sun, craters on the moon, and more importantly, Jupitar's moons. Galileo seeing these moons orbiting Jupitar is important because it proves the theory that everything revolves around the Earth to be incorrect. (Britannica) -
Huguenot rebellion against Louis XIII
The Huguenot rebellions, were an event of the 1620s in which French Calvinist Protestants (Huguenots), revolted against royal authority. The Huguenot rebellion is important, because it was the first big revolt against French monarchs. The Huguenot rebellions were suppressed by the French Crown. As a consequence, the Huguenots lost their political power, and ultimately their religious freedom. (Grun, 278) -
Meets with the new pope, Urban VIII
In 1623, Galileo goes to Rome to talk to the new Pope. Although a baffled by scientific principles, Urban VIII seemed genuinely interested in Galileo's ideas. Urban VIII assured Galileo that as long as he remained Pope, the memory of Copernicus had nothing to fear. Eventually, however, the Pope became suspicious that Galileo might be siding with the heliocentric theory. This is important because it lead to Galileo’s trial, where he was placed under house arrest. (Smithsonian) -
Placed under house arrest
In 1633, Galileo was placed under house arrest. In 1616, he was summoned to Rome and warned not to teach or write about this controversial theory. However, in 1632, believing that he could write about the subject as long as it was stated as a hypothesis, he published work on the Copernican system. He was found guilty of heresy in 1633, and was placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life. This is important becaue it stopped Galileo from doing alot of the things he is famous for. -
Goes blind
In 1638, while still under house arrest, Galileo goes blind. Nobody knows the cause with confirmation, however, there are some ideas floating around. The first one is that Galileo went blind due to cataracts and glaucoma. The second is that he went blind while looking at the sun through his telescope. Whatever the reason, this is important because he couldn’t ever look through a telescope again, or make any new discoveries with it. (Smithsonian) -
The seige of Turin
The 1640 siege of Turin was a major action in two distinct wars: the Franco-Spanish War and the Piedmontese Civil War. When the Piedmontese faction captured Turin, the French retired within the citadel and continued to resist. A Franco-Piedmontese army invested the forces within the city. Finally, a Spanish army encircled the French besiegers. In this bizarre triple siege, the Spanish army surrounded the French army which surrounded the Piedmontese who surrounded the citadel. (Gun, 291) -
Galileo dies
The Italian astronomer, physicist and mathematician, Galileo Galilei, died on January 8, 1642. Galileo dies after suffering heart palpitations and a long fever. Galileo was 77 when he died. Galileo dying was important because it opened the door for new scientists like Isaac Newton to take what he found out, and apply it to other things in this world. (Biography online) -
Everything galileo wrote is accepted by the church
By 1835, everything Galileo ever said or wrote was accepted by the church. In Galileo’s time, the thing with the church was that it was okay for you to do science, and it was even okay if you find that the Church’s interpretation of the Bible was wrong, as long as you didn’t say it out loud. However, this is exactly what Galileo did. This is important because with the church on board, almost everyone began to believe what he said was true. (Famousscientists)
