1540 in science
Encyclopedia
The year 1540 in science
and technology
included a number of events, some of which are listed here.
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
included a number of events, some of which are listed here.
Chemistry
- Valerius CordusValerius CordusValerius Cordus was a German physician and botanist who authored one of the greatest pharmacopoeias and one of the most celebrated herbals in history...
discovers and describes a method of synthesizing etherDiethyl etherDiethyl ether, also known as ethyl ether, simply ether, or ethoxyethane, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula . It is a colorless, highly volatile flammable liquid with a characteristic odor...
("oleum dulci vitrioli") by adding sulfuric acidSulfuric acidSulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
to ethyl alcohol.
Exploration
- May 9 - Hernando de AlarcónHernando de AlarcónHernando de Alarcón, a Spanish navigator of the 16th century, noted for having led an early expedition to the Baja California peninsula, meant to be coordinated with Francisco Vasquéz de Coronado's overland expedition, and for penetrating the lower Colorado River, perhaps as far as the modern...
sets sail to explore the Baja California peninsulaBaja California PeninsulaThe Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
; on September 26 he enters the Colorado RiverColorado RiverThe Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
.
Births
- January 28 - Ludolph van CeulenLudolph van CeulenLudolph van Ceulen was a German / Dutch mathematician from Hildesheim. He emigrated to the Netherlands....
, German mathematicianMathematicianA mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
(d. 16101610 in scienceThe year 1610 in science and technology involved some significant events.-Astronomy:* January 11 - Galileo Galilei observes Jupiter's four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto...
). - c. February or March - Francis DrakeFrancis DrakeSir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
, EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
explorer (d. 15961596 in scienceThe year 1596 in science and technology included some significant events.-Astronomy:* David Fabricius discovers the first non-supernova variable star, Omicron Ceti....
). - Roch Le BaillifRoch Le BaillifRoch Le Baillif, Sieur de la Riviere was a French physician, influenced by Paracelsianism. He was prosecuted for practicing medicine contrary to the official teaching of the Sorbonne.- Works :...
, French physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
(d. 15981598 in scienceThe year 1598 in science and technology involved some significant events.-Exploration:* Spanish prospectors discover the Ojuela Mine.* The northern islands of the Falkland group are discovered.-Zoology:...
). - François VièteFrançois VièteFrançois Viète , Seigneur de la Bigotière, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to its innovative use of letters as parameters in equations...
, FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
mathematician (d. 16031603 in scienceThe year 1603 in science and technology involved some significant events.-Astronomy:* Johann Bayer publishes the star atlas Uranometria, the first to cover the entire celestial sphere, and introducing a new system of star designation which becomes known as the Bayer designation.-General:* Accademia...
).
Deaths
- probable date - Johann Georg FaustJohann Georg FaustDr. Johann Georg Faust , also known in English as John Faustus , was an itinerant alchemist, astrologer, and magician of the German Renaissance...
, German alchemistAlchemistAn alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist may also refer to:-People and groups:*The Alchemist , a hip hop music producer and rapper*Alchemist , an Australian progressive metal band...
(b. 1480).