Timeline Saturday 15 February 1564

Events on Saturday 15 February 1564 3

• 1564 – 1642 Galileo Galilei Father of Modern Science Astronomer and physicist who championed heliocentrism, leading to his trial by the Roman Inquisition.
• 1564 – 1642 Galileo Galilei Astronomer, physicist, and father of observational astronomy Galileo Galilei was an Italian polymath whose work in astronomy, physics, and the scientific method fundamentally reshaped humanity's understanding of the universe. He built and refined the telescope to reveal the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the true nature of the Milky Way, providing powerful evidence for the Copernican, Sun-centered model of the solar system. His insistence on empirical observation over inherited authority brought him into direct conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, culminating in his 1633 trial by the Inquisition and years of house arrest. Despite this persecution, his final work on motion and mechanics laid essential groundwork for Newtonian physics, earning him lasting recognition as one of the founders of modern science.
• 1564 Galileo Galilei born in Pisa Birth of Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence, to Vincenzo Galilei, a musician and music theorist, and Giulia Ammannati. He was the eldest of six children in a family that valued learning and argumentation, traits that would shape his combative intellectual style. His father's experimental approach to music theory, testing string tension and pitch empirically, is thought to have influenced Galileo's own preference for observation and experiment over pure authority.