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Jan 1, 1543
On the Fabric of the Human Body Published
In 1543, Andreas Vesalius published On the Fabric of the Human Body. This was seen as the first great modern work of science. The book was also the foundation of biology, marking an important event in this time period. -
Jan 1, 1543
On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
Nicolaus Copernicus's book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres was revolutionary. It set out the heliocentric theory, which was very important to this time period. -
Period: Jan 1, 1543 to
Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment Timeline
Important events of these time periods -
The Ash-Wednesday Supper
In 1584, Giordorna Bruno published many works such as The Ash Wenesday Supper, On Cause, Principle, Unity, and On the Infinite Universe and Its Worlds. Bruno showed the world of his view that the earth was not the center of the universe, which was an important theory during this time. Unfortunately for Bruno, he was burned at the stake for his views. -
Analytical Trigonometry
In 1591, analytical trigonometry was invented by Francois Viete. This would later help the studying of astronomy and physics. -
Galileo Galilei and Gravity
In 1591, Galileo Galilei showed the world his experiment. Galileo went to the top of the leaning tower of Pisa, and dropped a one pound weight and a one hundred pound weight at the same time. In showing this, he found that they hit the ground at the same time, which demonstrated the properties of gravity. -
Description of the Marvelous Canon of Logarithms
In 1614, John Napier published the Description of the Marelous Canon of Logarithms. This invention helped in becoming the vital step in not using numerical calculations as much. -
Final Law of Planetary Motion
In 1618, Johannes Kepler set out his third and final law of planetary motion. These laws described showed the motion and the form of the planets' orbits. The Aristotelian system was soon rejected because of this revoltionary law. -
Thirty Year War
During the Scientific Revolution, a new age called the Enlightenment, was beginning. The Enlightenment really started because of this war. German writers began to expand their knowledge to go against tradition. -
Novum Organum
In 1620, Francis Bacon published the Novum Organum. By publishing this, he hoped that by comparing the fields of science to one another, they would see how they relate. This was part of Bacon's questioning of the ancient Greeks' philosophy with Rene Descartes. -
Galileo's Recant
In 1633, the Inquisition forced Galileo Galilei to recant his theories. Unless he recanted, he would be tried with death. He then told everyone publicly that the Earth stood motionless at the center of the universe. He was required to have house arrest for the remainder of his life. -
Geometry
In 1637, Rene Descartes published this revolutionary work. It describes how motion can be shown as a curve along a graph, defined by its relation to planes of reference. This was Descartes'landmark work, and approached a new way in mathematical thinking. -
Leviathan
In 1651. Thomas Hobbes wroth Leviathan. In this book, Hobbes argued that people were greedy and cruel. He said in this book to have a strong monarchy government so it could impose order on the citizens. This was another one of many ideas of the Enlightenment that was produced. -
Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica
In 1687, Issac Newton published the Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica. It explained the law of gravity and other workings of the universe. It was one of the most important events during the Scientific Revolution, and it remains as the basis of astronomy and modern times physics. -
Two Treatises of Government
In 1690, John Locke published the Two Treatises of Government. In this book, Locke established a form of government with limited power. He and Thomas Hobbes set forth ideas that were very important during this age. -
The Spirit of the Laws
Baron de Montesquieu published The Spirit of the Laws in 1748. In this book, he wrote about the separation of powers. He talked about how each branch of government should be used as a check on the other two, which we now call checks and balances. This helped expand even more ideas during this blosssoming age. -
Encyclopédie
In 1751, Denis Diderot began publication on his work Encyclopédie. Although critics and the government were not happy about this, and tried to stop him. When it was later translated into different languages, it really helped spread Enlightenment ideas. -
Candide
In 1759, Voltaire published the Candide. It satirized many subjects such as religion, government, and armies. It exposed injustices in the society with a humorous touch, and is one of the most influential books ever written. -
Mozart
In 1762, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart became a celebrity at only three years old. He composed and performed music for three decades until his death. Mozart's legacy continues to live on today, and is truly influential. -
The Social Contract
In 1762, Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote The Social Contract. He wrote his ideas about government and society. Rousseau influenced many types of thinkers throughout the years. -
French Revolution
In 1789, the French Revolution started. This is ultimately what ended the Enlightenment period. People blaimed the Enlightenment for the violence, and it ended. The French Revolution had a massive effect on French and modern history in general.