Galileo Galilei was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who shaped modern scientific thinking. Galileo has been called the “the Father of Modern Science”.

Galileo’s wider “claim to fame” was his persecution at the hands of the then very powerful and politically influential Catholic Church. (We seem to get reminded of this quite a lot be disgruntled “amateurs”. )

An educational film dramatising the life of Galileo and his scientific discoveries can be found on the IOP website here.

The chapters are as follows

2:15 – Scene 1: Of Mice and Pendulums. Pisa Cathedral, Italy, 1583
7:50 – Scene 2: The Feather and the Weights. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, 1590
14:55 – Scene 3: The Spyglass. Optician’s Shop, Holland, 1608
21:15 – Scene 4: Galileo’s Star Party. Galileo’s Garden, Padua, Italy. 1609
36:10 – Scene 5: A Visit From the Pope. Galileo’s Garden, Florence, Italy, 1633
51:00 – Epilogue: The Space Probes. A student’s room, Lancaster University, 2009