What were Copernicus' discoverings?

In the early 1500s, when virtually everyone believed Earth was the center of the universe, Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus proposed that the planets instead revolved around the sun. Although his model wasn't completely correct, it formed a strong foundation for future scientists to build on and improve mankind's understanding of the motion of heavenly bodies. read more

However, decades later, the Catholic Church began pushing back on Galileo, and sought to destroy the heliocentric model discovered by Copernicus. Copernicus did not limit his genius to astronomy. For most of his life, he was an economist or physician. read more

Nicolaus Copernicus was born on 19 February 1473 in the city of Thorn (modern Toruń), in the province of Royal Prussia, in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. His father was a merchant from Kraków and his mother was the daughter of a wealthy Toruń merchant. Nicolaus was the youngest of four children. read more