Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642), Italian

* 15 February 1564, † 8 January 1642

Galileo Galilei was born on 15 February 1564 in Pisa (now in Italy). Galilei was an Italian scientist who formulated the basic law of falling bodies, which he verified by careful measurements. He constructed a telescope with which he studied lunar craters, and discovered four moons revolving around Jupiter and espoused the Copernican cause. Galileo Galilei died on 8 January 1642 in Arcetri (near Florence, now in Italy).