Show Notes
In this episode we delve into the life and legacy of the enigmatic Roger Bacon. Once considered a magician with fantastical abilities, Bacon's reputation transformed over the centuries, oscillating between mystical figure and scientific pioneer. Born in 1220, Bacon's journey through Oxford, Paris, and his unexpected entry into the Franciscan order unfolds against the backdrop of a changing Europe. Join us as we explore Bacon's intricate blend of philosophy, optics, and experimental science, s...
More from The Complete History of Science
In 1583, Galileo Galilei was eighteen years old and enrolled as a medical student at the University of Pisa. On the surface, life was good. There was, however, one problem: he couldn't stand medicine. We begin with his early years, from his musician father and difficult mother to the monks who very nearly kept him for good. Nicknamed The Wrangler for arguing with his professors, Galileo slipped uninvited into a lecture on geometry and was captivated. Mathematics was poorly paid and held in lo...
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In 1610 reports reached Prague that Galileo had discovered new planets, and Kepler felt compelled to find out for himself what had actually been seen. Reading Starry Messenger and later observing through a borrowed telescope, he became one of Galileo’s earliest and most important defenders. Kepler not only confirmed the existence of Jupiter’s moons but also argued publicly for the reliability of telescopic observations, and went further by explaining, for the first time, how the telescope wor...
Merry Christmas! Answering listener questions as well as some long standing FAQs. Enjoy! Support the show Support the show and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/TheCompleteHistoryofScience Website: https://thecompletehistoryofscience.com/ Contact: [email protected] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/gethinrichards.bsky.social Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
After years of struggle, Johannes Kepler finally had the tools and data to wage what he called his “War with Mars.” Rejecting ancient assumptions he used Tycho Brahe’s observations to discover his first two laws of planetary motion. His New Astronomy not only redefined celestial mechanics but transformed astronomy from a geometric art into a true physical science. Support the show Support the show and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/TheCompleteHistoryofScience Website: https...