yr8_Galileo

=**__Galileo Galilei__**=

These are a few details of my life:


I was born in Pisa on the 15th February 1564. I was the first of six children. My father was called Vincenzo Galilei, a famous lutenist and music theorist, and Giulia Ammannati. I always wanted to be a priest as a young man, but I studied for a medical degree at the University of Pisa because my father urged me to. I never wanted to complete the degree, as it was not what I enjoyed doing or what I wanted to do, so instead I studied mathematics. In 1589, I was appointed to the chair of mathematics in Pisa. In 1591 my father died and I was taken care of by my younger brother Michelagnolo. In 1592, I moved to the University of Padua, teaching geometry, mechanics, and astronomy until 1610. During this period I made amazing discoveries in both science (for example, astronomy) and applied science (for example, strength of materials, improvement of the telescope). My multiple interests included the study of astrology, which in pre-modern disciplinary practice was seen as correlated to the studies of mathematics and astronomy. I was put on house arrest for going against the church, when I said that I believed that the earth goes around the sun, not the other way around. But I was forced to stand before the church and say that I was wrong, and that I was sorry for going against the bible.