Historical Events

The scientific advances of the Renaissance were evident in many fields. In medicine, Belgian physician Andreas Vesalius dissected cadavers and made numerous discoveries about human anatomy. The spirit of curiosity was also extended to exploration and navigation. Italian navigator Christopher Columbus, English explorer Sir Francis Drake, and other made use of the latest inventions and discoveries in navigation, astronomy, and mathematics. Artists explored the mathematical relationships inherent in nature. They closely studied perspective, investigating how to portray depth and depict objects as they appeared to the eye. Important inventions at this time include gunpowder, the printing press, and the compass, were practical results of Renaissance scientific inquiry.