The episode begins by introducing Nicholas Copernicus, born on February 19, 1473, in Royal Prussia, part of the Kingdom of Poland. He was a mathematician, astronomer, and priest who formulated a heliocentric model placing the sun at the center of the universe. His book, 'On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres,' published just before his death in 1543, triggered the Copernican Revolution. Initially, his theory was slow to catch on, with only about 15 astronomers in Europe espousing it 60 years after publication. The immediate controversy was mild, possibly because ecclesial authorities were preoccupied with the Reformation. Copernicus was not discussed at the Council of Trent. Reformers like John Calvin and Martin Luther objected to his theory, as it challenged literal interpretations of the Bible, such as the story of Joshua's battle at Gibeon. Calvin commented on Genesis, emphasizing the earth's central place, while Luther dismissed Copernicus for disrupting astronomy and siding with scripture. The Catholic Church took official action six decades later, in 1616, suspending Copernicus's book until corrections were made, linking it to the Galileo affair. Francesco Ingoli presented arguments against the theory, including physical, mathematical, and theological points. By 1758, the general prohibition on heliocentric works was removed. Beyond astronomy, Copernicus was a polyglot and polymath with a doctorate in canon law, working as a physician, classic scholar, translator, governor, diplomat, and economist. He derived the quantity theory of money and formulated what became Gresham's law. His legacy is recognized through the chemical element Copernicium (symbol Cn, element 112) and a symphony by Svetlana Azarov titled 'Mover of the Earth, Stopper of the Sun.' The episode concludes with a preview of the next episode on Frederick Douglass and contact information.
