2nd+Period+-+Copernicus

=2nd Period - Copernicus= By: Jacob B.



Date of birth: Feb. 19,1473

Location of birth: Thorn, Poland (now called Torun)



Parents’ names: Nicolaus and Barbara Koppernigk

Family background: Nicolaus Copernicus was named after his father but changed his last name to the Italian way of spelling it. His father was a very wealthy merchant and his mother came from a very rich family of traders. His Uncle was very rich from working for the church. This money helped Copernicus later in his life. He was the youngest of four and had one brother named Andreas and two sisters named Barbara and Catherine. When his father died he and Andreas were sent to live with their uncle while Barbara and Catherine stayed with their mother. His sisters became nuns and Copernicus and his brother went to work for the church.

Date of death: May 24,1543

Location of death/grave: Cathedral of Warmia, Poland



Education: Copernicus moved to Italy to get a better education in these subjects: Mathematics: One year, University of Bologna Astronomy: All his life, At his home Church Law: Four years, University of Ferrara Medicine: Two years, University of Padua He got to go to what ever school he liked because of his uncles money. After he finished school he became a cannon.

Career: He was a cannon at the Cathedral Chapter of Frauenburg. He wrote six books that where never published that he combined into the "On the Revolutions of Hevenly Spheres". As a cannon he corrected the Roman calender.

Legacy: Nicolaus Copernicus is famous for his theory that all planets travel around the sun and that Earth rotates around an imaginary axis and slightly wobbles on it. He is also famous for writing "On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres". He proved there are only four elements and that the planets are not a fifth element called Quintesse. He charted the paths of Earth, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter take around the sun.

Additional/Interesting information: Copernicus studied the Greek astronomers Pythagoras and Aristarchus. Since his family was very rich and his home town was under attack a bunch so his house was surrounded by walls. The last thing he saw before he died was his book so it completed his life ambition.

Sources Cited (Copernicus – 2nd Period)

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