Our bearded brother of history this week is Galileo Galilei, the famous Italian polymath who lived in the 16th and 17th century.
He and his beard were specialists in astronomy, physics, engineering, philosophy, and math.
Wikipedia likes to call him daddy, naming him “the father of observational astronomy”, “the father of modern physics”, “the father of the scientific method”, and “the father of science.”
Phew, dude’s got a lot of kids.
Galileo studied all types of physics, such as speed and velocity, gravity and free fall, relativity, inertia, and projectile motion.
He and his beard shook things up by being a champion of heliocentrism, claiming correctly that Earth orbits the sun.
His views got him tried by the inquisition where he was found “vehemently suspect of heresy” and forced to spend the rest of his life under house arrest.
After his death, he was initially buried in a small room, as he was seen as a heretic. However, almost 100 years later, his contributions to science were recognized and he was relocated to a main room after a monument was erected in his honor.
During the reburial, three fingers and a tooth were removed from his remains.
One of these fingers, a middle finger, is currently on exhibition in Florence.
RIP Galileo Galilei, may your beard grow forever