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Roger Joseph Bosocovich

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Scientist

The Resume

    (May 18, 1711-February 13, 1787)
    Born in Dubrovnik, Croatia (Hrvatska
    Real name: Ruder Josip Boskovic
    Catholic priest and scientist
    Polymath who made significant contributions to physics, engineering, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, poetry, and theology
    Proposed the basics of atomic theory over one hundred years before its general acceptance
    Fellow of the Royal Society, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and namesake of the oldest astronomical society in the Balkans
    Director of optics for the French Navy
    Taught at the Roman College for over twenty years
    Chair of Mathematics at the University of Pavia
    Determined the speed of the Sun's rotation
    First to compute a planet or comet's orbit from three observations of its position and first to determine the equator of a planet from three observations of a surface feature
    Published over seventy papers on optics, astronomy, gravitation, meteorology, and trigonometry
    Discovered there was no atmosphere on the Moon
    Graduate of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome
    Wrote, 'Theoria philosophiae naturalais redacta ad unicam legem virium in natura existentium' which is translated as 'Theory of Natural Philosophy Derived to the Single Law of Forces Which Exist in Nature

Why he might be annoying:

    International politics, including his own diplomatic assignments caused him considerable difficulty during his life, including making him miss important astronomical events.
    With good reason, his Jesuitorder was suppressed during his lifetime.
    He wasn't ordained until he was well into his thirties and his scientific work took a backseat to his work as a priest and never actually worked in a parish as a priest.
    His nationality is claimed by Italy, Croatia, and Serbia.
    He is for the most part forgotten today.
    Nietzsche cited him as an influence.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had a staggering intellect and an incredible list of accomplishments in widely varying fields and has been called 'The last great mind of the Renaissance.'
    He came from a very large (he was the eighth of nine children) and religious family and three of his brothers became priests and one of his sisters, a nun.
    He was very direct in defense of his religious beliefs.
    His father was bedridden from before he was born and died when he was ten.
    He convinced Pope Benedict XIV to remove Copernicus from the Index of Forbidden Books.
    He has a lunar crater named after him.
    He suffered from health problems during much of his adult life brought on by overwork.
    He died painfully from some type of lung disease possibly lung cancer.
    He cleared his hometown of charges of illegal weapons (warships) manufacturing.

Credit: tom_jeffords


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying