1543 – 1687
Scientific Revolution/Periods

Working Definition: By tradition, the “Scientific Revolution” refers to historical changes in thought & belief, to changes in social & institutional organization, that unfolded in Europe between roughly 1550-1700; beginning with Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543), who asserted a heliocentric (sun-centered) cosmos, it …

• Jan 1, 1507. Copernicus’s “Commentariolus” Begins to Circulate.
• Jan 1, 1542. Nicolas Copernicus Publishes “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres”
• May 24, 1543. Nicolas Copernicus Dies.
• May 24, 1543. Death of Copernicus.
• Jan 1, 1545. Council of Trent: Counter-Reformation Begins.
• Feb 15, 1564.
• Jan 1, 1572.
• Jan 1, 1573.

In Britain, scientific development reached its zenith in the second half of the 17th century, during the period known as the ‘scientific revolution’.

However, the transformation occurring today still is very revolutionary in nature. While “the” scientific revolution represented a change in the human understanding of the world, the revolution today represents a physical change in how the world works.

Many historians say that the Scientific Revolution ended on July 5, 1687 when Isaac Newton published Principia Mathematica. This work was a compilation of all the major discoveries of the time, including gravity and the laws of motion.

While the dates of the scientific revolution are disputed, the publication in 1543 of Nicolaus Copernicus’s De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) is often cited as marking the beginning of the scientific revolution.

England and Scotland were leading centres of the Scientific Revolution from the 17th century and the United Kingdom led the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century, and has continued to produce scientists and engineers credited with important advances.

The century saw significant advancements in the practice of medicine, mathematics, and physics; the development of biological taxonomy; a new understanding of magnetism and electricity; and the maturation of chemistry as a discipline, which established the foundations of modern chemistry.

Some historians consider the development of modern science the most important event in the intellectual history of humankind. The series of events that led to the birth of modern science is called the Scientific Revolution. It occurred between about 1540 and 1700.

The Scientific Revolution was a series of events that marked the emergence of modern science during the early modern period, when developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology (including human anatomy) and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature.

The series of events that led to the birth of modern science is called the Scientific Revolution. It occurred between about 1540 and 1700. Why would the birth of science be called a “revolution”? The answer is that science was a radical new idea. It was a completely different way of looking at the world.

Copernicus’ new heliocentric model, which stated that the Earth revolved around the Sun, was a major breakthrough of the period. The climax of the Scientific Revolution was when Isaac Newton published his series of books.