Introduction

Many centuries ago, in the land we call Italy, everyone did what the Roman Catholic Church said was right. This, of course, limited people’s ideas. Everyone just went on thinking the church was right except for one man, who could not accept all of the supreme church’s teachings, and that man was Galileo Galilee.

Beginning

Galileo Galilee was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564. In 1570, he and his family moved to Florence, Italy. There, he started going to school. Then, in 1581, Galileo went to the University of Pisa. He studied medicine at the University of Pisa. Near the end of his studies at the University of Pisa, Galileo didn’t care for medicine any longer, but became interested in mathematics. In 1585, Galileo left the University of Pisa and became a mathematics tutor. He continued to be a tutor in mathematics for the next four years.

Becoming a Astronomer

In 1589, Galileo invented the hydrostatic balance. A hydrostatic balance is an instrument used to find the gravity of objects by putting an object in water. Later in 1589, he became a professor of mathematics at the University of Pisa. Mathematics in those days wasn’t like math is today. Then, math was astronomy and scientific theories from the ancient Greeks. In 1592, Galileo became a professor of mathematics for the University of Padua. He spent the next 18 years teaching mathematics. During this time, he agreed with another famous scientist’s theory that the sun is the center of our solar system. This famous scientist, Nicolaus Copernicus, lived before Galileo. Galileo did not agree with the church’s teaching that the Earth is the center of our solar system. Galileo would not agree publicly with Copernicus’ theory yet.

Inventing

In 1609, Galileo built his first telescope. Galileo’s telescope was different and better than the old telescopes because he used one tube that could fit into another tube so you can slide them back and forth. This let you change the focus of the telescope’s lens. Galileo also changed the size of the lens. These things allowed his telescope to be more powerful.

Putting His Telescope Into Action 

Galileo’s first discovery with his new telescope was that the moon is bumpy, not smooth and flat like the church taught. Then, in 1610, Galileo discovered four moons of Jupiter. Later that year, he was named the personal mathematician of a member of the ruling family of Florence, Italy.

Laws Of Motion

Also, in 1610, Galileo stated his opinion in public that the sun is the center of the solar system. The Roman Catholic Church didn’t know that Galileo was disobeying the church’s teaching yet, so Galileo was safe from the church’s power to punish him for now. During that time, he discovered the Law of Pendulums and the Law of Falling Bodies. The Law of Falling Bodies states that all objects fall at the same speed no matter how heavy they are. The Law of Pendulums states that pendulums swing at the same speed whether their arcs are large or small.

Going to Rome

Then in 1616, the all-mighty Roman Catholic Church found out Galileo disobeyed the church’s teachings. Galileo was summoned to Rome to be put on trial to see if he should be punished for going against the church. Galileo was not punished, but he was warned not to take Copernicus’ theory seriously any more.

Later Life

In 1632, Galileo wrote the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which was a comparison of the ancient Greeks’ theories (Aristotle’s and Ptolemy’s) and the theories he agreed with (Nicolaus Copernicus’.) Galileo was summoned to Rome again to be judged on purposely disobeying the church’s teachings. This time, he was found guilty. He was punished by being sentenced to life in prison. Galileo was 70 at the time and in poor health, so he was allowed to serve his sentence in his home in Florence, Italy. He went blind while imprisoned at home. However, that didn’t stop Galileo from completing his second masterpiece, Discourse on Two New Sciences, which is his theory of motion. Then, in 1642, at the age of 78, Galileo Galilee died.

Conclusion

Galileo Galilee will be remembered as the man who cared more about uncovering the truth than he cared about his life. He will also be remembered as the man who started modern science. Most of all, though, he will be remembered as a great man who accomplished more than anyone could have possibly asked him to.