Did you Know?

Nicolous Copernicus was born in 1473, and died in 1543. He is most famous as the first man to popularize the notion that the Earth was not the center of the universe.

In the spirit of the renaissance, and the scientific method, Copernicus had mathematical data to support his claims. Unlike other revolutionaries of his time, Copernicus was not one to speak out. He was a monk, and only stated that the Earth orbited the Sun because the mathematics worked out that way. So 'quiet' was Copernicus, that he only released his research a few weeks before his death. This was to prevent the church from punishing him. The church at this time had tremendous power. One of their beliefs was that the Earth was the center of the universe (Man is special, so he should be at the center). Any challenges to this recognized belief would ultimately lead to that person's execution by the church.