For what was Copernicus famous? - Answers

Copernicus changed the way the universe was though of when he presented the heliocentric theory. Until he came around, everyone thought the earth was the center of the universe. Copernicus presented the idea that the sun was, not the earth!!! It is a legend that he had a massive stroke and woke up from a loss of consciousness to see his newly published book, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in his hands. He died not long after that, in May of 1543, and it was a peaceful death, for he knew that his belief had been released into the world. Copernicus did not suffer much persecution, if any, while he was alive, but his name and reputation suffered a beating after his death until it was proven right by Galileo and his new invention, the telescope. The pope did not like Copernicus' far-fetched idea, and even John Calvin and Martin Luther thought it was foolish and spoke out against it. Feeling pressure, the Catholic Church placed Copernicus' book on the forbidden list and banned its teachings in about 1650. The ban wasn't released until 1822! This is an example of how you can be persecuted for new ideas, no matter how accurate they are, but still, it could change history!