The scientist “who made the Earth a planet” is how the Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Owen Gingerich refers to Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543). Copernicus’ path breaking book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres,challenged the centuries-old belief that the Earth stood stationary at the center of the cosmos.
A Totally New Concept
By day, Copernicus, who had studied law and medicine, was an officer of the Catholic Church in northern Poland. At night, he studied the skies and made mathematical calculations that explained how the Sun was at the center of the cosmos, and the Earth, like the other planets,revolved around it.Worried that his conclusions were at odds with what the Church and most people believed, Copernicus delayed publishing his book. He believed he would be “hissed off the stage,” if the book appeared in print. But a younger scholar from Germany named Georg Joachim Rheticus paid a two-year-long visit to Copernicus and helped him prepare his book for publication. In March 1543, On the Revolutions appeared in Nuremberg, Germany. Two months later, on May 24, as 70-year-old Copernicus lay on his deathbed, he saw the printed version for the first and last time.
Esta historia es de la edición January 2017 de Dig Into History Magazine for Kids and Teens.
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Esta historia es de la edición January 2017 de Dig Into History Magazine for Kids and Teens.
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Weapons + Warfare
Homer’s Iliad tells the story of a war.
Kings And Heroes
Recognize these scenes? Heroes and kings of ancient empires strive for victory and glory.
Shot From The Past
How did a German gun from the First World War end up, 9,000 miles away, in a small north Queensland mining town?
A Fair Price From Medieval Turkey
Nasreddin Hodja was a 13th-century teacher, philosopher, and judge.
The Lion Under the Ground
His horse stumbled, and George Ledwell Taylor stopped to see why: an odd-looking rock in the path.
Fulvia & Benazir Bhutto
Powerful women are sometimes controversial women, and it can be difficult to sort out the true details of their lives.
Marry Him!
The year was 1469, and the 18-year-old Castilian Princess Isabel (also spelled Isabella) was struggling with an important question: Whom should she marry? Marriage is a big decision for any young woman, but for Isabel it was more than personal. She was heir to the throne of Castile, so her decision would affect the entire realm.
The Alhambra
The Alhambra of Granada is one of the very few Islamic palaces to have survived almost intact since medieval times. Founded as a small fortress in the year 897, it was expanded to its present beauty in the 14th century by the Nasrid rulers of the Kingdom of Granada. After the conquest of Granada by Isabel and Fernando in 1492 (see pages 14–17), the Spanish monarchy championed its preservation for two centuries. A period of abandonment followed. In the 19th century, it was rediscovered after artists and travelers from across the world began to visit it. The most famous, an American writer named Washington Irving, even took residence within its crumbling walls. He wrote, “Such is the Alhambra…an elegant memento [reminder] of a brave, intelligent, and graceful people who conquered, ruled, and passed away.” In recent times, the Alhambra has been restored, excavated, and studied in detail. Today, it is the most visited historical site in Spain.
Offering Table
Offering TableThis offering table was discovered at Medinet Habu, Ramses III’s mortuary temple (see pages 18–23).
The Varna Gold
In 1972, archaeologists excavating a necropolis (large cemetery) in southeastern Europe made an amazing discovery.