Galileo Galilei

Father of observational astronomy and experimental physics. His improved telescope revealed the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the cratered face of the Moon — destroying the Aristotelian perfect-sphere cosmos. His trial by the Inquisition (1633), forced to recant heliocentrism, became the defining symbol of the conflict between science and religious authority. He is said to have muttered 'And yet it moves.'

• Roles: Astronomer, Physicist, Mathematician, Engineer