Scientific Revolution

Little Difference Between Science and Magic

Sep 23, 1250

Science was not accepted as a good way of understanding how the world worked until well into the 1500's. At this time people relied on religion, magic and astrology to explain the world around them.

Scientists Began Questioning Old Beliefs

Sep 23, 1520

During the early 1500's scientists began to question old beliefs. They used scientific instruments, mathematics, and experiments to study the world for themselves.

The Scientific Method Was Devoloped

Sep 20, 1530

In the 1500's, the ability to conduct experiments to test theories was important. This new method of researching was called the scientific method.

Nicolas Copernicus

Jan 1, 1543

During the early 1500's Copernicus started to move away from Ptolemy's previous theory that the Earth was the center of the universe. Instead he believed that the Earth Revolved around the sun along with the other planets. When Copernicus's heliocentric theory was published in 1543, people did not take notice.

Andres Vesalius

Sep 23, 1543

Vesalius was a pioneer in the field of anatomy. He refused to accept what was learned hundreds of years ago by scientists such as Galen. As a result, he did his own studies to see how the human body operated. In 1543, he published a book called "On the Fabric of the Human Body".

William Harvey

Sep 23, 1550

William Harvey was an English physician who studied the field of anatomy. He conducted experiments to learn about the circulatory system, and specifically the heart.

Bacteria Was Discovered

Sep 23, 1580

Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch scientist, discovered bacteria by using a microscope. Initially, he called them animalcules.

Don Quixonte de la Mancha

Jan 1, 1600

Miguel de Cervantes from Spain published a novel called Don Quixonte de la Mancha. This comedic story reflected the the world which was rapidly moving towards science instead of old legends.

Johannes Kepler

Sep 23, 1609

Kepler was a German astronomer who tested Copernicus's heliocentric theory. While some of the concepts that Copernicus's theory were based off of were wrong, Kepler was still able to prove the theory correct. He published his laws of planetary motion in 1609.

Francis Bacon

Sep 23, 1620

Bacon believed that scientific theories could only be developed through observation. He also believed that experiments needed to be repeated in order to trust assumptions. In 1620, he published "Novum Organum" which highlighted his thoughts about the acquisition of knowledge.

Galileo Galilei

Sep 23, 1632

Galileo built his own telescope and and was able to study the moon and the solar system. He used the evidence that he found to argue that the Earth is not the center of the universe. Many people refused to accept these new understandings when they were published in 1632

Rene Descartes

Sep 23, 1637

Descartes was a leader of the scientific revolution that believed that all aspects of science were connected. He published the "Discourse in Method" which was about his thoughts on proving scientific statements with research. His work led to the law of refraction and his studies and thoughts influenced many other people.

Calculus Was Devoloped

Sep 23, 1640

Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz independently invented calculus in the mid-17th century. Although they did not communicate with each other while coming up with this idea, they both similarly discovered the field of calculus.

The Birth of Chemistry

Sep 23, 1662

Robert Boyle, a English- Irish scientist, helped to pioneer the study of chemistry. One of the things that Boyle discovered was that temperature and pressure affect the space that a gas occupies.

Isaac Newton

Sep 23, 1687

Newton wrote a book that expanded on the ideas of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo in 1687. Newton also proposed the law of universal gravitation. This discovery tied together what was previously learned and discovered about the world and the universe. Newtons discovery changed the view point that many people had regarding the world.

Oxygen Was Discovered

Sep 23, 1774

Joseph Priestly, an English chemist, discovered the element oxygen in 1774. It was later named by French scientist Antoine Lavoisier. Lavoisier also discovered that five was a result of oxygen rapidly combining with another element, and not an element itself.

Scientific Revolution Spread Across Europe

Sep 23, 1780

By the late 1700's, knowledge of the scientific method and new ways of explaining the world had spread across Europe. In this brief period of time, the understanding of many people had rapidly increased. This was in part due to the printing press, scientific societies, and other improvements in communication.