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BIOGRAPHY OF GALILEO GALILEI

Galileo’s inventions were a scientific marvel in his

time and have since been incredibly important to
cosmic and astronomical study. Galileo Galilei was
born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy (where the tower leans)
and educated in one of the city’s main monasteries.
Early in life he wanted to join the Church Order,
however his parents, Vincenzo Galilei (a music
teacher) and Guilia Ammannati, had different
ambitions for their son.
They wanted Galileo to become a medical doctor.
However, while pursing his university studies,
Galileo realized he had a passion for mathematics
and instead became a professor of mathematics at
the Universities of Padua and Pisa.
GALILEO GALILEI (1564-1642)

As a professor, Galileo argued against traditional

views of astronomy. Until that point in history, Aristotle’s theories were thought to be the
fundamental laws in physics. Aristotle’s belief that objects with a greater density fall faster than
those that are lighter in weight, was disproved by Galileo when he stood at the top of the
Leaning Tower of Pisa and discovered that the reason for one object falling faster than the other
had to do with the friction each encounters while moving through the air- two objects of different
weight actually fall at the same rate in a vacuum.
Galileo also argued against Aristotle’s claim that the universe was geocentric, which means that
the Sun revolves around the Earth. Instead, he confirmed Nicholas Copernicus’ controversial
assertion that the Earth and all other planets actually circle the Sun, the heliocentric view.
Galileo’s magnificent invention of the telescope in 1610 provided the tool needed to verify the
Copernican theory. His telescope was modelled after the spyglass, which made distant objects
appear closer to the eye. Galileo’s model was far superior and was able to magnify objects
twenty times versus others that were only capable of magnifying an object three times. With his
telescope, Galileo was able to look at the moon and make more profound astronomical
discoveries and studies. He discovered four of the moons of Jupiter with his telescope and also
confirmed the phases of Venus.

Galileo’s stern endorsement of the Copernican system angered the Roman Catholic Church.
There were a number of biblical passages that clashed with the idea of a sun-centered universe.
Although Pope Urban VIII, who headed the Church at the time, admired Galileo an Inquisition
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was formed to convict him of heresy after his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World
Systems was published. The Pope had previously assured Galileo that he could include
Copernican theory in his writing as long as he treated it strictly as a mathematical principle. But
such turned out not to be the case, Galileo was put under house arrest at his villa in Arcetri
outside of Florence, Italy in 1633. He was not imprisoned due to his advanced age and ill health.
At that point in his life, he had become blind and nearly immobile. He died in his villa in 1642,
though he was a man whose life brought incredible advancement to the world of science.

Synopsis:
Born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy, Galileo Galilei was a mathematics professor who
made pioneering observations of nature with long-lasting implications for the study of physics.
He also constructed a telescope and supported the Copernican theory, which supports a sun-
centered solar system. Galileo was accused twice of heresy by the church for his beliefs, and
wrote books on his ideas. He died in Arcetri, Italy, on January 8, 1642.

Early Life
Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa in the Duchy of Florence, Italy. He was
the first of six children born to Vincenzo Galilei, a well-known musician and music theorist, and
Giulia Ammannati. In 1574, the family moved to Florence, where Galileo started his formal
education at the Camaldolese monastery in Vallombrosa.

In 1583, Galileo entered the University of Pisa to study medicine. Armed with high intelligence
and talent, he soon became fascinated with many subjects, particularly mathematics and physics.
While at Pisa, Galileo was exposed to the Aristotelian view of the world, then the leading
scientific authority and the only one sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. At first, Galileo
supported this view, like any other intellectual of his time, and was on track to be a university
professor. However, due to financial difficulties, Galileo left the university in 1585 before
earning his degree.

Academic Career
Galileo continued to study mathematics, supporting himself with minor teaching positions.
During this time he began his two-decade study on objects in motion and published The Little
Balance, describing the hydrostatic principles of weighing small quantities, which brought him
some fame. This gained him a teaching post at the University of Pisa, in 1589. There Galileo
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conducted his fabled experiments with falling objects and produced his manuscript Du Motu (On
Motion), a departure from Aristotelian views about motion and falling objects. Galileo
developed an arrogance about his work, and his strident criticisms of Aristotle left him isolated
among his colleagues. In 1592, his contract with the University of Pisa was not renewed.

Galileo quickly found a new position at the University of Padua, teaching geometry, mechanics
and astronomy. The appointment was fortunate, for his father had died in 1591, leaving Galileo
entrusted with the care of his younger brother Michelagnolo. During his 18-year tenure at Padua,
he gave entertaining lectures and attracted large crowds of followers, further increasing his fame
and his sense of mission.

Controversial Findings
In 1604, Galileo published The Operations of the Geometrical and Military Compass, revealing
his skills with experiments and practical technological applications. He also constructed a
hydrostatic balance for measuring small objects. These developments brought him additional
income and more recognition. That same year, Galileo refined his theories on motion and falling
objects, and developed the universal law of acceleration, which all objects in the universe
obeyed. Galileo began to express openly his support of the Copernican theory that the earth and
planets revolved around the sun. This challenged the doctrine of Aristotle and the established
order set by the Catholic Church.

In July 1609, Galileo learned about a simple telescope built by Dutch eyeglass makers, and he
soon developed one of his own. In August, he demonstrated it to some Venetian merchants, who
saw its value for spotting ships and gave Galileo salary to manufacture several of them.
However, Galileo’s ambition pushed him to go further, and in the fall of 1609 he made the
fateful decision to turn his telescope toward the heavens. In March 1610, he published a small
booklet, The Starry Messenger, revealing his discoveries that the moon was not flat and smooth,
but a sphere with mountains and craters. He found Venus had phases like the moon, proving it
rotated around the sun. He also discovered Jupiter had revolving moons, which didn’t revolve
around the earth.

Soon Galileo began mounting a body of evidence that supported Copernican theory and
contradicted Aristotle and Church doctrine. In 1612, he published his Discourse on Bodies in
Water, refuting the Aristotelian explanation of why objects float in water, saying that it wasn’t
because of their flat shape, but instead the weight of the object in relation to the water it
displaced. In 1613, he published his observations of sunspots, which further refuted Aristotelian
doctrine that the sun was perfect. That same year, Galileo wrote a letter to a student to explain
how Copernican theory did not contradict Biblical passages, stating that scripture was written
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from an earthly perspective and implied that science provided a different, more accurate
perspective. The letter was made public and Church Inquisition consultants pronounced
Copernican theory heretical. In 1616, Galileo was ordered not to “hold, teach, or defend in any
manner” the Copernican theory regarding the motion of the earth. Galileo obeyed the order for
seven years, partly to make life easier and partly because he was a devoted Catholic.

In 1623, a friend of Galileo, Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, was selected as Pope Urban VIII. He
allowed Galileo to pursue his work on astronomy and even encouraged him to publish it, on
condition it be objective and not advocate Copernican theory. In 1632, Galileo published the
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, a discussion among three people: one who
supports Copernicus’ heliocentric theory of the universe, one who argues against it, and one who
is impartial. Though Galileo claimed Dialogues was neutral, it was clearly not. The advocate of
Aristotelian belief comes across as the simpleton, getting caught in his own arguments.
Reaction by the Church
Church reaction against the book was swift, and Galileo was summoned to Rome. The
Inquisition proceedings lasted from September 1632 to July 1633. During most of this time,
Galileo was treated with respect and never imprisoned. However, in a final attempt to break him,
Galileo was threatened with torture, and he finally admitted he had supported Copernican theory,
but privately held that his statements were correct.

He was convicted of heresy and spent his remaining years under house arrest. Though ordered
not to have any visitors nor have any of his works printed outside of Italy, he ignored both. In
1634, a French translation of his study of forces and their effects on matter was published, and a
year later, copies of the Dialogue were published in Holland. While under house arrest, Galileo
wrote Two New Sciences, a summary of his life’s work on the science of motion and strength of
materials. It was printed in Holland in 1638. By this time, he had become blind and in ill health.

Death and Legacy

Galileo died in Arcetri, near Florence, Italy, on January 8, 1642, after suffering from a fever and
heart palpitations. But in time, the Church couldn’t deny the truth in science. In 1758, it lifted the
ban on most works supporting Copernican theory, and by 1835 dropped its opposition to
heliocentrism altogether.

In the 20th century, several popes acknowledged the great work of Galileo, and in 1992, Pope
John Paul II expressed regret about how the Galileo affair was handled. Galileo’s contribution to
our understanding of the universe was significant not only in his discoveries, but in the methods
he developed and the use of mathematics to prove them. He played a major role in the scientific
revolution and, deservedly so, earned the moniker “The Father of Modern Science.”
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Personal Life
In 1600, Galileo met Marina Gamba, a Venetian woman, who bore him three children out of
wedlock: daughters Virginia and Livia, and son Vincenzo. He never married Marina, possibly
due to financial worries and possibly fearing his illegitimate children would threaten his social
standing. He worried the two girls would never marry well, and when they were older, had them
enter a convent. His son’s birth was eventually legitimized and he became a successful musician.