Copernicus discovers that Earth orbits the Sun
Circa 1508, Copernicus developed his own celestial model of a heliocentric planetary system. Around 1514, he shared his findings in the Commentariolus.
Scientists & mathematicians
Ismail al-Jazari publishes The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices
The Book describes 100 innovative mechanical devices, including the camshaft, some 80 of which are trick vessels of various kinds, along with instructions on how to construct them.
Ibn Sina publishes The Canon of Medicine
The Canon of Medicine is an encyclopedia of medicine compiled by Persian physician-philosopher Ibn Sina. It presents an overview of the contemporary medical knowledge of the medieval Islamic world.
Ibn al-Haytham writes Book of Optics
The Book of Optics is a seven-volume treatise on optics and other fields of study.
Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī publishes The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing
Translated into Latin by Robert of Chester in 1145, it was used until the sixteenth century as the principal mathematical text-book of European universities. It also introduced the term “algebra” to European languages.
Brahmagupta writes the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta, a seminal work of mathematical astronomy
The Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta is a text of mathematical astronomy contains significant mathematical content, including a good understanding of the role of zero, rules for manipulating both negative and positive numbers, a method for computing square roots, methods of solving linear and quadratic equations, and rules for summing series.
Ptolemy publishes Geography, revolutionizing cartography
The Geography represents the culmination and synthesis of the scientific tradition in Greek cartography; it consists of eight books, and anywhere from 26 to 64 maps.
Thales of Miletus becomes first human to predict a solar eclipse
If the account is true, it has been suggested that Thales would have had to calculate the timing of any eclipse by recognizing patterns in the periodicities of eclipses. It has been postulated that Thales may have used the Saros cycle in his determination