Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) was a Polish mathematician, astronomer, physician, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat and economist, who posited that the Earth orbite...view moreNicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) was a Polish mathematician, astronomer, physician, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat and economist, who posited that the Earth orbited the Sun, and not the other way round. He started the Scientific Revolution which eventually disconnected the Church from its role as the sole arbiter of all truths.view less