Johannes Kepler is remembered mostly for his discovery that the orbits of stellar objects are elliptical, as well as for his laws of motion, which he did using the observations gathered by Tycho Brahe. His work helped merge the ideas of physics and astronomy together. Additionally, he was prominent in the field of optics and developed a new version of the refracting telescope.
1607 – The first English colony is established on the North American mainland at Jamestown, Virginia. This marks the beginning of what would become the United States of America.
1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. This calendar is still the international standard used today, which is pretty impressive considering it is over 400 years old.
There was a lot that went on during the early 1600s! Two incredibly important figures of astronomy were working simultaneously, one of the most famous books was being published, America was being settled, England was in turmoil with the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, Protestantism was grabbing hold, Francis Drake was circumnavigating the globe, the list goes on. They make up some of Man’s greatest accomplishments, and they were all happening concurrently, and they all still affect us to this day.
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