The Scientific Revolution The Scientific Revolution was a period in history beginning in the late 1500s when scientific ideas began to be consciously put to use by European society It is generally thought to have begun with a book, On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus in This book was the first to postulate that the Earth was not the center of the Universe. It was such a striking change from past beliefs that it made many realize that not everything there was to know had yet been learned

The Gunpowder Revolution The advent of gunpowder in Europe caused a revolution in warfare. First, cannons were developed and then hand held weapons that, in effect, swept the aristocratic knight from the field of battle On a larger scale, innovations in warfare often proved the decisive factor in victory or defeat and controlled the fate of vast territories. It thus became vital for monarchs to sponsor technical experimentation in weapons

Elsewhere Meanwhile, monarchs, such as Czar Peter the Great of Russia, and their advisors began to realize that advances in other areas could be used to help the state. They gave monopolies to people who created new products, and then taxed the proceeds. They rewarded inventors and scientists and focused science by setting goalsCzar Peter the Great of Russia

The Scientific Method Sir Francis Bacon was the first man to enunciate a method for making the technological innovations that were beginning to change European life Under Bacon's regime, phenomena was observed, hypotheses made based on the observation. Tests would be conducted based on hypotheses. If the tests produced reproducible results then conclusions could be made. These conclusions would spur additional questions and the process would begin again.

The Scientific Method The scientific method began to be applied to all technical areas from astronomy to farming. These advances generally made life easier and understanding broader.

Printing Press: The Spread of Knowledge The moveable type press was invented in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg ( ). In 1456 he produced the first European book from a press, the Bible. Though Gutenberg himself did not prove a great success, his printing press was. Soon it was copied all over Europe. Within 30 years an addition 350 presses were producing books, pamphlets, and broadsheets

Printing Press: The Spread of Knowledge With the printing press, knowledge, especially scientific knowledge, suddenly could be much more easily spread It could be compared to the advent of the internet, where today a vast field of knowledge is accessible by the average person from their own home.

The Effects of the Scientific Revolution The Scientific Revolution would make Europeans the most powerful peoples in the world. It made individuals much more productive by creating machines that could do drudgerous labor and utilize multiple sources of power from wind and water to coal and steam. More people could be fed, clothed, and housed with less manpower. More wealth could be created in less time for more people. Innovations in military machines and tactics made Europeans a force to be reckoned with. New methods of trade and commerce made trade with other nations more advantageous, spreading even more knowledge.

The Effects of the Scientific Revolution Perhaps the most important aspect of the Scientific Revolution was its self perpetuating nature. Once it was truly underway luddite movements could hardly stand in its way. The answer of one scientific question spawned a dozen more. Scientists found that the rewards of scientific research were great on an individual, national, and world-wide level. The Scientific Revolution would spawn the Industrial Revolution. The Scientific Revolution is often thought of as a period that occurred in the long ago, but in many ways we continue to be a part of it to this day. Industrial Revolution