by Sherrie Smith

Created on: October 10, 2009

Harken then to this great and new wonder. The first discover of the solar spots, as also of all other celestial novelties, was our Lincean academician and he discovered them in the year 1610, wrote Galileo about himself in his Dialogue on the Great World Systems.

No biography can be complete without dates, can it? Here is a chronological summary of Galileo's 78 years:

1564 Born in Pisa, Italy in the month of February, 15th day.

1581 Began his studies at the University of Pisa

1588 Treatise written regarding gravity

1591 Leaves University of Pisa & goes to University of Padua

1597 Confesses to Kepler in a letter that he believes the Copernican theory

1600 Oldest daughter of 3 children is born. Galileo never marries his children's mother.

1608 Telescope invented

1611 Convinces Jesuit astronomers of his theories

1612 Publishes paper on sunspots

1615 Tries to convince Rome that the new theories are in accord with Scripture. Cardinal Bellarmine warns him to keep his Copernican theory hypothetical, not factual until proven.

1616 Problems with Rome continues Galileo insists his astronomy is fact even though he has been warned to find more proof. Decree of Congregation of the Index prohibits Copernicus' De revolutionibus until it is corrected, making it more hypothetical.

1618 Three comets appear

1619 Galileo writes his Discourse on Comets but publishes it under Mario Guiducci.

1620 Congregation of the Index corrects Copernicus' work thus allowing anyone to read it.

1623 The new Pope is a friend of Galileo's Maffeo Cardinal Barberini, taking the name of Urban VIII.

1624 Galileo tries to get the Copernican prohibition reversed in Rome. Pope Urban encouraged him to write up his theories, but keep it as hypothetical.

1625 Galileo does as Pope Urban tells him, commencing his Dialogue on the Two Great World Systems.

1626-1629 Galileo is much too ill to work on his above paper.

1630 Completes the above paper in January, taking it to Rome for publishing by Father Riccardi

1631 Galileo asks Rome to print the above paper in Florence.

1632 Dialogue is published, but by August further publication is halted by the Pope and Galileo is ordered to Rome in October.

1633 Galileo arrives in Rome after a leisurely trip, allowed by Pope Urban. By April, twice several priests and cardinals, who hope to deal leniently with Galileo, have questioned him. Galileo defends his writings, but the report sent to Pope Urban was probably written by the faction who wanted Galileo severely

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