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1609: Telescope presented by Galileo.In the spring of 1609, Galileo, an Italian natural philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, heard that in the Netherlands an instrument had been invented that showed distant things as though they were nearby. By trial and error, he quickly figured out the secret of the invention and made his own three-powered spyglass from lenses for sale in spectacle makers' shops. Others had done the same; what set Galileo apart was that he quickly figured out how to improve the instrument, taught himself the art of lens grinding, and produced increasingly powerful telescopes. On this day he presented an eight-powered instrument to the Venetian Senate (Padua, where he held the chair of mathematics, was in the Republic of Venice). He was rewarded with life tenure and a doubling of his salary.More events on this day1939:Germany and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact dividing eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence. |
1927:Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrants, were executed for murder in Massachusetts, despite a mishandled trial and the widespread belief that they were innocent. |
1926:“The Great Lover,” motion-picture actor Rudolph Valentino, died suddenly at age 31, prompting widespread public grief from his fans. |
1514:The Ottomans won a decisive victory over the ?afavids of Iran at the Battle of Ch¨¡ldir¨¡n. |
1305:Scottish national hero and resistance leader Sir William Wallace was executed in London. |
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