Tag Archives: Galileo Galilei

June 22, 1633

On June 22, 1633, Pope Urban VIII forced Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Earth orbits the Sun. Why did Galileo recant? Because he didn’t want to die. At that time the Church had their own courts, and police, and… Continue reading

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April 14, 1611

On April 14, 1611, the Italian scientist and naturalist Prince Federico Cesi help coin the word ‘telescope’ in a letter he wrote to Galileo Galilei. Interesting enough, in the nearby city of Rome, an Italian gatekeeper coined the phrase “Back that ass up,” when he ordered a Venetian merchant to stop trying to drive his … Continue reading

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February 26, 1616

On February 26, 1616 CE, esteemed Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, Galileo Galilei was delivered an injunction from the Roman Inquisition that demanded that he abandoned his belief in heliocentrism. Heliocentrism is the scientific theory that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. He was not expecting this as he felt that the … Continue reading

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