SPACE — By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian at Australian Catholic University.
Nicholas Copernicus was the astronomer who, five centuries ago, explained that the Earth revolves around the Sun, not vice versa. A true Renaissance man, he also practiced as a mathematician, engineer, writer, economic theorist, and medical doctor.
After his death in 1543 in Frombork, Poland, Copernicus was buried in the local cathedral. Over the following centuries, the location of his grave was lost to history.
Who is Copernicus?
Nicholas Copernicus or Mikolaj Kopernik in Polish, was born in Torun in 1473. He was the youngest of four children born to a local merchant.
After his father’s death, Copernicus’ uncle took over responsibility for his education. The young scholar initially studied at the University of Krakow between 1491 and 1494, and then at the Italian universities of Bologna, Padua, and Ferrara.
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After studying medicine, canon law, mathematical astronomy, and astrology, Copernicus returned home in 1503. He then worked for his influential uncle, Lucas Watzenrode the Younger, who was Prince-Bishop of Warmia.
Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus in Torun Town Hall (circa 1580). Image: unknown artist / Wikimedia
Copernicus worked as a doctor while continuing his research in mathematics. At that time, astronomy and music were considered branches of mathematics.
During that period, Copernicus formulated two influential economic theories. In 1517, he developed the quantity theory of money, which was later re-articulated by John Locke and David Hume, and popularized by Milton Friedman in the 1960s. In 1519, Copernicus also introduced the concept now known as Gresham’s law, a monetary principle that addresses the circulation and valuation of money.
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Copernicus’ Model of the Universe
The foundation of Copernicus’ contribution to science was his revolutionary model of the universe. Contrary to Ptolemy’s model which stated that the Earth was the immobile center of the universe, Copernicus argued that the Earth and the other planets revolved around the Sun.
2024-01-16 20:20:00
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