Galileo Quadricentennial

2009 has a lot of remarkable anniversaries: Darwin's and Lincoln's 200th B-day and Calvin's 500th.

Another significant one that impacts our world today is the 400th anniversary of Galileo setting his telescope, first upon the moon, and then eventually the entire universe. His observations created a major stink with the Catholic Church and began the myth that he debunked the infallibility of the Bible.

A couple of articles go into the historical background of the Galileo affair:

Galileo Quadricentennial: Myth vs. Fact

and a more technical one,

The Galileo affair: history and heroic hagiography?

Both are worth the read over the weekend.