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1200
Roger Bacon
... an English philosopher and alchemist. He was one of the first "scientists" to use experimentation to find truth, instead of just accepting current beliefs. However, he used alchemy, the practice of trying to understand the world through magic. He was called "Doctor Mirabilis", or "wonderful teacher". -
Period: 1200 to
Scientific Revolution
Until the around the 1500's, most people thought magic and science were the same. They accepted their societies' beliefs as truth, without question. However, there were many pioneers who helped change this and taught that the way to find truth was by experimentation, observation, and thinking. These people were the first scientists, and helped the world transfer from assumption to the scientific method.
(All info not cited comes from the SR packet and Britannica Encyclopedia School) -
1543
Andreas Vesalius Publishes Drawings of Anatomy
Andreas Vesalius, a Flemish dwarf, helped explain and show how many parts of the human body work. He used real-life dissections to create extremely accurate drawings of the different systems, which was very controversial in his time period. He compiled his findings into the book "On the Fabric of the Human Body." His research was the most accurate information of his time.
(DWARF INFO: https://listverse.com/2015/10/08/10-fascinating-dwarfs-from-world-history/) -
1543
Nicolaus Copernicus Publishes Heliocentric Theory
During Copernicus' life, most people believed the universe revolved around Earth, known as the "Geocentric Theory". This theory, however, did not agree with Copernicus' observations. He then developed a theory that DID agree, known as the "Heliocentric Theory". He believed that all celestial bodies orbit the sun, rather than the earth. He was too scared of rejection to publish his findings instantly. His theory was finally published the year he died, in 1543.
(IMAGE FROM: goo.gl/UTHMxa) -
Microscope Invented
The microscope was a very revolutionary device that helped influence many scientific discoveries, such as Leewenhoek's sighting of bacteria.
Three different lensmakers, Hans Lippershey, Hans Jansen, and his son Zacharias Jansen, claimed to have invented the microscope around this time. However, the device had been "invented" by many people before. It is unlikely that any of the three Dutch lensmakers were the first true inventors of the microscope.
(Pictured is a 17th-century microscope) -
Hans Lippershey Claims to Have Invented Telescope
... which is a device that uses curved glass lenses to magnify distant objects. The invention of the telescope was revolutionary to astronomers like Galileo (his telescope is shown), who could now view celestial bodies in finer detail.
Hans Lippershey was a lens maker from the Netherlands. He built telescopes for his country's government and falsely attributed to have invented the device. He submitted for a patent, but was rejected because, "many other persons had a knowledge of the invention." -
Johannes Kepler Publishes Laws of Planetary Motion
Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer who helped prove Copernicus' Heliocentric Theory. Copernicus based his theory on some false concepts, but Kepler was able to work past this and prove the theory. For example, Copernicus thought that the planets orbited the sun in circular paths, but Kepler discovered they orbit in ellipses, which matched his observations closer. Although Kepler was able to add strong proof to the Heliocentric Theory, his tools were not good enough to prove it fully. -
Francis Bacon Publishes "Novum Organum"
Francis Bacon believed scientific theories could only be developed through observation. He believed evidence was only sufficient if shown by repeated experiments. He thought logical deductive reasoning was not sufficient to prove a theory: you had to have physical proof. His publication, "Novum Organum" explained this method of thinking, which was quite revolutionary at his time. -
Galileo Proves Heliocentric Theory Further
Galileo Galilei was an Italian scientist who added to Kepler's proof of the Heliocentric Theory. An invention had been created that did not exist at Kepler's time: the telescope. This tool helped Galileo to observe the planets in finer detail and draw sketches of his findings. He saw moons orbiting other planets and proved that not every planet orbits Earth. He inspired other prospective scientists and astronomers to use telescopes and look to the heavens. -
William Harvey Studies Circulation of Blood
William Harvey was an English scientist who studied the circulation of blood. He dissected corpses for research and was able to prove all blood flows throughout the whole body in one system. Many people at his time believed that blood was created and consumed by the body at the same rate. His experiments found that blood pumps through the veins to fast to be made and consumed all at once. It must circulate around and around. His findings were about as important as Vesalius'. -
Robert Boyle Creates "Boyle's Law"
Robert Boyle was a part-English part-Irish scientist of chemistry. One of his most significant contributions to his field was the discovery of "Boyle's Law", the rule that at a constant temperature, a gas' pressure multiplied by it's volume would always be the same number. This law is now very well known by scientists.
(IMAGE FROM: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/robert-boyle-4.jpg) -
Liebnitz and Newton Develop Calculus (Seperately)
The mathematics field of Calculus was developed in part by German Gottfried Liebnitz and Englishman Isaac Newton. They did not in any way work together, rather their individual findings were compiled into one field. Calculus is now taught in most schools and is used in physics, chemistry, biology, economics, finance, and actuarial science.
(The image is a portrait of Liebnitz.) -
Antoni van Leewenhoek Discovers "Animalcules"
Leewenhoek was one of the pioneering scientists to use a microscope for research. Actually, Leewenhoek was examining water under a microscope when he saw or "discovered" the first bacteria to be seen by the human eye. He originally named them "animalcules", or animals the size of molecules.
(DATE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/van_leeuwenhoek_antonie.shtml) -
Isaac Newton Publishes Laws of Motion
When Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo discovered that all planets orbit the sun, they did not know why. Newton, however, discovered gravity, the law that all masses attract each other. This explained why the planets circle the sun and why objects fall. Newton created a system that explained all the physical motions of objects, explaining many things about the working of the world. He helped create some of the most essential basics of modern physics. -
René Descartes' "Discourse on Method" Published
Descartes believed that you could not assume anything without basing it on concrete facts. His book, "Discourse on Method", showed that questioning should follow an orderly logical path. Descartes was best known for his quote, "I think, therefore I am," which he used to prove the simple fact that he exists! He also contributed greatly to the fields of geometry/algebra, the scientific method, astronomy, and physical sciences. -
Joseph Priestley Discovers Oxygen
When Priestley discovered oxygen, he did not believe it was its own element. He believed it was "dephlogisticated air" or air with no phlogiston. Phlogiston is part of an early chemical theory that combustion and life are based on a material called phlogiston, which is used up over time. It took Lavoisier, however, to debunk this myth and dub the new element "oxygen".
(IMAGE FROM: https://userscontent2.emaze.com/images/f91cc910-bb63-4cc4-8c2e-497d2ccf32c6/4ba6af03ea596b6a710c5921a750732e.png) -
Lavoisier Names Oxygen
Lavoisier debunked Joseph Priestley's myth of oxygen being "dephlogisticated air", and proved it was actually a new element. In addition to naming this new element, Lavoisier found that fire was not an element, but a substance rapidly combining with oxygen. Also, he found that when steam mixes into the air, it turns invisible. Moreover, he discovered that matter cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change form.
