1543: Death of Nicolaus Copernicus in Frombork (in Poland). By mathematically demonstrating heliocentrism in De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, he challenged the Ptolemaic geocentrism inherited from Antiquity, paving the way for the Scientific Revolution and the future work of Kepler and Galileo. A bust erected in his memory stands today at the entrance to the Brussels Planetarium, a reminder of his enduring legacy.

Image credits : Unknown author, ca. 1580