Scientific Revolution and Renaissance

Johannes Gutenberg: The Printing Press

1450

Johannes Gutenberg was a German craftsman and inventor, he is credited for the invention of the printing press. His invention would revolutionize the world. Without the invention of the printing press, many people wouldn't have access to books, and it's possible without this invention that it could affect literature in today's age. The Printing Press was like no other form of printing at the time, either people rewrote it by hand, or the letters were put on a block and stamped onto a page.

Desiderius Erasmus

1500

Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch humanist who became a priest in 1492, and he used his knowledge of language to write a New Greek edition of the new testament and an improved Latin one. He also insisted that the Bible be translated into the vernacular language so common folk could read it. He would use writing to urge reforms in the church. He challenged the worldliness of the church and wanted them to go back to early Christian traditions.

Leonardo da Vinci : Mona Lisa

1503

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is one of his most famous paintings and is the one most people think of when they think of his name. What made this painting so well-known is that da Vinci never finished the portrait until he got to France, and it never got sent back to the lady in the picture. This has caused historians to speculate on who the lady in the painting was, but most assume it was most likely Lisa del Giocondo, a Florence noblewoman.

Michelangelo : Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

1508

In 1508, Michelangelo started working on the frescoes for Pope Julius II. He was going to replace the blue ceiling that was dotted with stars. He would paint frescos on the ceiling. In his first three paintings, he would paint the story of The Creation of the Heavens and Earth, The Creation of Adam and Eve, and the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and the story about Noah and the Great Flood.

Niccolò Machiavelli "The Prince," and "Discourses on Livy,"

1532

Niccolò Machiavelli was a writer, political philosopher, and secretary of the Republic of Florence. He is known for his books "The Prince" and "Discourses on Livy," published after his death. "The Prince" actually influenced many people, and Machiavelli is credited as the founder of modern political science. Intertraptions of his work have been used by Leo Strauss, Friedrich Meinecke, and Ernst Cassirer, to name a few.

Galileo Galilei (continued)

1610

He brought heliocentrism to the public eye, and his findings allowed other scientists to study what he had discovered and improve on what he already found as well. His inventions from improved telescopes, microscopes, and compasses impacted astronomy and biology significantly.

Galileo Galilei

1610

Galileo Galilei built his first telescope which was an improved version of what the Dutch had designed. In 1610, he discovered four new what he called "stars," orbiting Jupiter, which was actually the planet's four largest moons he also observed what was on the moon. He published his findings called them the "Medician Stars," but there was one problem his observations contradicted the beliefs that most people agreed to be true, which was also enforced by the church.