What Did Galileo Have To Do With The Leaning Tower Of Pisa?

Galileo Galilei, the famous astronomer and scientist was born in Pisa in 1564, the same year as Shakespeare. He went to Pisa University at the age of 17 to study medicine but was much more interested in maths and experimental science. In 1589, he became a professor at the University, with a Chair in Mathematics.

He became very interested in the new invention that had just been made – that of the telescope – and he greatly improved the design of the instrument enabling him to make a useful study of the stars. He wrote up the discoveries he made about the stars and the universe using his telescopes in a short book. The Starry Messenger was first published in Venice in May 1610. Many other of Galileo's works and writings still survive today.

Legend has it that he did experiments in connection with gravity and he dropped stones of different weights from the top of the leaning tower of Pisa to test his theories.

He used the tower to look at the stars