| Nicolas Copernicus published the then-revolutionary heliocentric theory of the planetary system, positing that the planets revolved not around the earth but the sun. As Goethe later observed "Of all discoveries and opinions, none may have exerted a greater effect on the human spirit than the doctrine of Copernicus. The world had scarcely become known as round and complete in itself when it was asked to waive the tremendous privilege of being the center of the universe. Never, perhaps, was a greater demand made on mankind" |
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