Happy birthday Galileo Galilei
Find out more about Galileo Galilei on his bithday.
Birth name: Galileo Galilei
Born: February 15, 1564.
Died: Jan 8, 1642 (age 77)
Occupation: Known as The Father of Science, his contributions included confirming the phases of Venus, discovering four of Jupiter’s moons, and inventing the thermoscope, the precursor to the thermometer. A major figure in the scientific revolution, his advocacy of the theory of heliocentricism, which postulated that the earth revolved around the sun, made him an enemy of the Catholic Church.
Before Fame: While training to become a doctor under his father’s wishes, he became fascinated with mathematics, which led him to study the stars.
Trivia: The Catholic Church arrested him under vehement suspicion of heresy for his defense of the heliocentric model, and he was forced to spend the remainder of his life under house arrest.
Family Life: He had three children out of wedlock with Marina Gamba: two daughters named Virginia and Livia and one son named Vincenzo.
