Scientific Revolution Figures

Flashcards on key figures and their contributions during the Scientific Revolution.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Polish astronomer who proposed the heliocentric theory—the idea that the sun, not the Earth, is the center of the universe. Published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (1543).

Johannes Kepler

German mathematician and astronomer who developed the laws of planetary motion, showing that planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun.

Galileo Galilei

Italian physicist and astronomer who used the telescope to support heliocentrism; discovered moons of Jupiter, craters on the moon, and was tried by the Inquisition for heresy.

Isaac Newton

English scientist who formulated the law of universal gravitation and laws of motion; authored Principia Mathematica, uniting physics and astronomy.

Francis Bacon

English philosopher who developed empiricism and the scientific method through observation and experimentation.

René Descartes

French philosopher and mathematician who emphasized deductive reasoning; known for “Cogito, ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”).

Andreas Vesalius

Flemish anatomist who revolutionized the study of human anatomy through dissection; wrote On the Fabric of the Human Body (1543).

William Harvey

English physician who discovered the circulation of blood and how the heart pumps it throughout the body.

Tycho Brahe

Danish astronomer who collected extensive data on planetary movements; supported geocentrism but laid groundwork for Kepler.

Margaret Cavendish

English noblewoman and natural philosopher; wrote on scientific subjects and criticized the idea that humans could master nature through science.