TestenGOLD- Free

Science’s global revolution

BBC History UK|October 2022
James Poskett introduces some brilliant thinkers who shatter the theory that, when it came to the scientific revolution of the 16th to 18th centuries, Europe was at the centre of the universe 
- James Poskett
Science’s global revolution

When we think of a lone scientific genius, we usually think of someone like the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Working away in isolation amid the grandeur of Frombork Cathedral, Copernicus developed a radical new scientific theory.

In On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, published in 1543, Copernicus challenged ancient tradition by putting the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the centre of the universe. This marked the beginning of what is often called the “scientific revolution”, the period between around 1500 and 1700 when European thinkers made incredible progress. This was the age of the Italian mathematician Galileo Galilei, who first observed the moons of Jupiter, and the English mathematician Isaac Newton, who first set out the laws of motion. Copernicus, like Galileo and Newton, forged ahead with a bold new scientific theory.

There is, however, a big problem with this account of the origins of modern science. By focusing on a few European geniuses, we miss a much more diverse and global story. We also give the impression that science is separate from history, that it develops independently of wider world events. In fact, science is just as much a part of world history as art, religion, culture, and politics.

Copernicus may have been a genius, but he was far from isolated. He wrote at a time when Europe was forging new connections with Asia, with caravans travelling along the Silk Road and galleons crossing the Indian Ocean.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2022-Ausgabe von BBC History UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2022-Ausgabe von BBC History UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS BBC HISTORY UKAlle anzeigen
Clash of tastes
BBC History UK

Clash of tastes

SUZANNE FAGENCE COOPER enjoys an account of the clash between Victorian art’s chief critic and its enfant terrible

time-read
2 Minuten  |
July 2025
Britain goes global
BBC History UK

Britain goes global

LAUREN WORKING applauds a kaleidoscopic exploration of how James VI & I fuelled Britain's global ambitions, paving the way for the future empire

time-read
4 Minuten  |
July 2025
"Edward III perpetrated one of the most brutal acts of war committed during the Middle Ages"
BBC History UK

"Edward III perpetrated one of the most brutal acts of war committed during the Middle Ages"

HELEN CARR speaks to Emily Briffett about the royal power struggles, bloody wars and horrific diseases that ruptured the structure of English society in the 14th century.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
July 2025
Rock of ages
BBC History UK

Rock of ages

Dartmoor's granite tors aren't just adventure playgrounds for hikers and climbers - the stone they produced built major landmarks and supported local livelihoods. CLARE HARGREAVES climbs the most famous outcrop

time-read
2 Minuten  |
July 2025
Swings and Roundabouts
BBC History UK

Swings and Roundabouts

We all have childhood memories of playgrounds. But what does the evolution of outdoor play in Britain tell us about the experience of being young over the past 200 years? Jon Winder serves up a history of sandpits, bombsites and battles with cars

time-read
9 Minuten  |
July 2025
Nation-building
BBC History UK

Nation-building

This provocative book challenges established interpretations, conceptualisations and evaluations surrounding the birth of the modern Greek nation-state in 1830.

time-read
1 min  |
July 2025
BBC History UK

Mother tongue

The title of Laura Spinney's lively, well-illustrated book refers to Proto-Indo-European (PIE).

time-read
1 min  |
July 2025
"Freedom and democracy are not to be taken for granted"
BBC History UK

"Freedom and democracy are not to be taken for granted"

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, on 5 May prime minister SIR KEIR STARMER hosted a tea party in Downing Street for Second World War veterans, schoolchildren and people with links to the armed forces. Following the event, he spoke to our correspondent York Membery about why marking the anniversary is so important - and the resonances with the current war in Ukraine

time-read
4 Minuten  |
July 2025
ELIZABETH I'S FORBIDDEN LOVE
BBC History UK

ELIZABETH I'S FORBIDDEN LOVE

In 1579, the queen embarked on a romance with a French duke she affectionately dubbed her “frog”. The pair seemed destined for marriage. Yet, writes Elizabeth Tunstall, the people of England had other ideas...

time-read
8 Minuten  |
July 2025
Beach warriors
BBC History UK

Beach warriors

SAUL DAVID is enthralled by a detailed account of the Allied assault on Sword beach during the pivotal landings of June 1944

time-read
2 Minuten  |
July 2025

Wir verwenden Cookies, um unsere Dienste bereitzustellen und zu verbessern. Durch die Nutzung unserer Website stimmen Sie zu, dass die Cookies gesetzt werden. Learn more