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1543
Nicolaus Copernicus
- put forth the theory that the Sun is at rest near the center of the Universe.
- Said that the earth spins on its axis once daily.
- Said the earth revolves annually around the Sun.
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Francis Bacon
-created the Scientific Method
-argued that scientific knowledge is obtained after making observations
-argued that controlled scientific experimentation is essential for understanding nature -
Galileo Galilei
- He pioneered the experimental scientific method.
- He was the first to use a refracting telescope to make important astronomical discoveries.
- He invented a proportional compass.
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Rene Descartes
- He invented analytical geometry
- He introduced skepticism as an essential part of the scientific method
- The developer of a new and comprehensive physics or theory of nature (including living things), and the proposer of a new metaphysics.
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Isaac Newton
- He formulated the laws of motion.
- He discovered calculus
- Made theories about light and color
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John Locke
-pioneered the ideas of natural law
-developed religious toleration
-and the right to revolution -
Montesquieu
-the idea of separation of powers
-shaped the modern democratic government
-the Persian Letters -
Denis Diderot
-made the encyclopedia
-pervaded the 18th century
-known for miaking the most useful book -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
-the Discourse on Inequality
-the Social Contract
-Considerations on the Government of Poland -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- he taught parents to take a new interest in their children and to educate them differently
- he furthered the expression of emotion rather than polite restraint in friendship and love
- revolutionized taste, first in music, then in the other arts.
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Voltaire
-wrote books, plays, poems, and polemics
-wrote fictitious Lettres philosophiques
-wrote the satirical novel Candide -
James Watt
- inventing different types of the steam engine
- coined the term 'horsepower' and devised a rev counter
- reduced the waste of power that occurred in previous versions of the engine
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Adam Smith
-a division of labor
-gross domestic product (GDP)
-the theory of the invisible hand -
George Washington
- General George Washington led the American army to victory during the Revolutionary War
- He provided military leadership by serving as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
- helped create the U.S. Constitution, and served as the first president of the United States
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Thomas Jefferson
- drafted the Declaration of Independence
- served as an officer in the Virginia militia before becoming the governor of the independent state
- he wrote a bill establishing religious freedom
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- He created a new path and style of music that did not follow the idea of "divine inspiration"
- He went towards the concepts of knowledge of music and the newfound ideas of this time period
- He made music that was not for religious purposes
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Maximillien Robespierre
- advocated the death penalty for enemies of the revolution
- supported the Reign of Terror
- promoted the interests of the lower classes
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Miguel Hidalgo
- uttered the cry of Dolores, which put the independence movement in motion
- managed to form an army made up of more than 40,000 people
- launched the Mexican War of Independence
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Simon Bolivar
- penned two political treatises
- encouraged the people of South America to rebel against Spanish colonial rule
- led multiple expeditionary forces against the Spaniards