Math & science · 1620
Scientific method
Bacon and Galileo argue that knowledge must be built from observation and experiment.
Francis Bacon's Novum Organum (1620) set out systematic induction, while Galileo joined mathematics to experiment. The method of testing claims against nature became the engine of every later node in this tree.
What it built on 3
What it led to 16
- Blood circulation 1628
- Galileo's laws of motion 1638
- Barometer and vacuum 1643
- Royal Society 1660
- Scientific journal 1665
- Savery steam pump 1698
- Seed drill 1701
- Controlled clinical trial 1747
- Deep time 1788
- Conservation of mass 1789
- Voltaic battery 1800
- Agricultural chemistry 1840
- Surgical anesthesia 1846
- Theory of evolution 1859
- Mendelian inheritance 1865
- Autonomous AI researchers ~2029
Related measurements
The dashed line marks when it first worked.
Patents awarded in England, 1700-1851 Latest: 455 patents per year (1851) Source: Our World in Data
New book titles per million people, UK Latest: 2.11k titles per million (2009) Source: Our World in Data