Tycho Brahe Was One Of The Greatest Scientific Minds In The 1600s, And His Death Was Truly Bizarre
Tycho Brahe was a brilliant man who challenged the way science was perceived in the 16th century. Sadly, he was also proof that being brilliant doesn't necessarily mean you're always smart.
Sure, Brahe was one of the fathers of modern astronomy and his theories were revolutionary... unfortunately, his strange and careless death is how most people will remember him.
"The father of modern astronomy," Tycho Brahe had always been passionate about science. In 1572, he was the only one of his contemporaries who correctly identified a supernova as an event taking place outside of our atmosphere.
This idea was challenging in an era when astronomers worked without the benefit of telescopes. To try and explain what he observed, Brahe built several models for demonstrating his findings.
At the same time, Brahe was also a bit of a bad boy. He once lost most of his nose in a duel and had to wear a metal one in its place.
But Brahe was perhaps best known for what occurred during an epic feast—where he would eventually lose his life.