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Scientific Revolution

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Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, the famous scientist and mathematician, painted in the early 1700s.

The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was a special time in history when people in Europe started to see the world in new ways. This happened mostly in the 16th and 17th centuries. Before this time, many ideas about nature came from very old books. But now, people began to use experiments and math to learn more about the universe around them.

This big change began around the year 1543. Two important books were printed then. One book, called De humani corporis fabrica, was written by Andreas Vesalius. It taught people new things about the human body. Another book, De Revolutionibus, was written by Nicolaus Copernicus. In it, he shared his idea that the Earth moves around the Sun, not the other way around.

The Scientific Revolution reached its peak in 1687 with a famous book by Isaac Newton. His book, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, explained how things move and how gravity works. This helped shape how scientists think about physics even today.

During this time, many smart people made big discoveries. Galileo Galilei used a telescope to see moons around Jupiter and other wonders in space. Francis Bacon helped people learn by doing experiments and watching what happens. These ideas led to the start of groups like the Royal Society, where scientists could share their work.

The Scientific Revolution changed how people understood the world. It began a new way of thinking that helped create the science we know and love today. People started to trust what they could see and measure, which opened up amazing new discoveries.

Images

Historic 1507 world map that was the first to name 'America.'
An old scientific drawing showing how astronomers in the 1400s thought the planets moved around Earth.
Portrait of Johannes Kepler, the famous astronomer who helped us understand how planets move around the sun.
A 17th-century portrait of Francis Bacon, a notable historical figure, painted by Paul van Somer.
Historical scientific illustration showing how iron wires interact with a magnet, from a 1600 book on magnetism.
Historic meeting place of the Académie des Sciences in France, established in 1666.
First edition of Sir Isaac Newton's 'Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' showing his handwritten corrections for the second edition.
A 17th-century scientific drawing showing how blood flow works, used to explain the circulation of blood in the body.
Title page of a 1661 science book by Robert Boyle, an important figure in the history of chemistry.
Front cover of a 1604 astronomy book by Johannes Kepler about the optics of celestial observations.
Portrait of Galileo Galilei, the famous scientist, painted by Ottavio Leoni in 1624.
An historic view of Gresham College in London from the 1700s.

Related articles

Europe
De humani corporis fabrica
Andreas Vesalius
De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium
Nicolaus Copernicus
Earth

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Scientific Revolution, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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