It all started with the travesty that was the bubonic plague. Carried by fleas on rodents, thousands of people lost their lives before it was all over. After the plague, Western Europe experienced a period of “rebirth,” called the Renaissance. This period was ruled by the esteemed Queen Elizabeth I and is also called the Elizabethan era. The Elizabethan era being a time of great opportunity, many advances were made in science and mathematics, exploration, industry, culture and the arts, all of which were brought into focus. work by the leaders of the time. and mathematicians discovered things and established principles, like the scientific method, that are still practiced today. After the bubonic plague, the population of London increased by 400% (Pressley). The invention of printing also contributed to the spread of knowledge. Moreover, “the Middle Ages were by no means ignorant of science” (Alchin). Arguably the most renowned astronomers of all time, Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei revolutionized the field. Copernicus hypothesized that Earth, like other planets, revolves around the sun; a contradiction to the common belief that the sun revolves around the Earth. On the other hand, Galileo made one of the first telescopes and proved Copernicus' theory. Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician who developed the mathematical laws of planetary motion. His investigations “led to the discovery of the principle of gravitation” (Alchin). Andreas Vesalius had the first in-depth description of the human body. Vesalius is the founder of human anatomy. William Harvey discovered the principles of blood circulation. Harvey is the founder of human physiology. As a result, “Copern...... middle of paper ...... human capacity. Works Cited Alchin, LK "Elizabethan Science and Technology." The Elizabethan era. Np, July 16, 2012. Web. March 10, 2014. “Being Bess: Industry in Elizabethan England.” » Publication of the web log. Being Bess: Industry in Elizabethan England. Blogger, January 11, 2012. Web. March 25, 2014. Couteur, Penny Le and Jay Burreson. Napoleon's buttons: how 17 molecules changed history. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2003. “Elizabethan Era” print. The lost colony. The Lost Colony, 2013. Web. March 8, 2014. “Elizabethan era. » Thinkquest.org. Oracle, 2011. Web. March 9, 2014. Lace, William W. Elizabethan England. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1995. Print. Ongaro, Giulio Maria. and David Brinkman. Renaissance music. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2003. Print. Pressley, J. M. “Elizabethan England.” Bardweb.net. Shakespeare Resource Center, January 1, 2013. Web. March 9. 2014.