Story Galileo in Rome for Inquisition, 1633 American Revolution Patrick Henry named colonel of First Virginia battalion, 1776 Automotive Actor Mel Gibson completes DUI probation, 2008 Civil War Unoin General John Rawlins born, 1831 Cold War Chernenko becomes general secretary, 1984 Crime Serial killer strikes in Colorado, 1982 Disaster Cinema burns in Turin, 1983 General Interest William and Mary proclaimed joint sovereigns of Britain, 1689 First Medal of Honor action, 1861 Dresden devastated, 1945 Hollywood Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon gets 10 Oscar nominations, 2001 Literary Long-lost Twain manuscript authenticated, 1991 Music ASCAP is founded, 1915 Old West Ashley advertises for western fur trappers, 1822 Presidential Teddy Roosevelt discusses Americas race problem, 1905 Sports Downhill skier Hermann Maier crashes in Olympics, 1998 Vietnam War Johnson approves Operation Rolling Thunder, 1965 Additional troops ordered to South Vietnam, 1968 World War I League of Nations recognizes perpetual Swiss neutrality, 1920 World War II Firebombing of Dresden, 1945 Lead Story AAA Cite This RSS Feb 13, 1633: Galileo in Rome for Inquisition Previous Day February 13 Calendar Next Day 62 On this day in 1633, Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy for advocating Copernican theory, which holds that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo officially faced the Roman Inquisition in April of that same year and agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. Put under house arrest indefinitely by Pope Urban VIII, Galileo spent the rest of his days at his villa in Arcetri, near Florence, before dying on January 8, 1642. Galileo, the son of a musician, was born February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He entered the University of Pisa planning to study medicine, but shifted his focus to philosophy and mathematics. In 1589, he became a professor at Pisa for several years, during which time he demonstrated that the speed of a falling object is not proportional to its weight, as Aristotle had believed. According to some reports, Galileo conducted his research by dropping objects of different weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. From 1592 to 1630, Galileo was a math professor at the University of Padua, where he developed a telescope that enabled him to observe lunar mountains and craters, the four largest satellites of Jupiter and the phases of Jupiter. He also discovered that the Milky Way was made up of stars. Following the publication of his research in 1610, Galileo gained acclaim and was appointed court mathematician at Florence. Galileos research led him to become an advocate of the work of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1573). However, the Copernican theory of a sun-centered solar system conflicted with the teachings of the powerful Roman Catholic Church, which essentially ruled Italy at the time. Church teachings contended that Earth, not the sun, was at the center of the universe. In 1633, Galileo was brought before the Roman Inquisition, a judicial system established by the papacy in 1542 to regulate church doctrine. This included the banning of books that conflicted with church teachings. The Roman Inquisition had its roots in the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, the purpose of which was to seek out and prosecute heretics, considered enemies of the state. Today, Galileo is recognized for making important contributions to the study of motion and astronomy. His work influenced later scientists such as the English mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton, who developed the law of universal gravitation. In 1992, the Vatican formally acknowledged its mistake in condemning Galileo. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesnt look right, contact us! Previous Day February 13 Calendar Next Day This Week in History, Feb 13 - Feb 19 Feb 13, 1633 Galileo in Rome for Inquisition Feb 14, 278 St. Valentine beheaded Feb 15, 1898 The Maine explodes Feb 16, 1923 Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut Feb 17, 1904 Madame Butterfly premieres Feb 18, 1885 Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Feb 19, 1847 Donner Part
Posted on: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 12:38:46 +0000
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