What was the name of the man burned alive by the church for suggesting...?

Question

that the Earth was not the only planet that held life? Apparently, he spent 8 years locked up, constantly being given the opportunity to take back his ideas. When he refused, they burned him alive. I just watched a special on this, and I have spent the last day with his name on the tip of my tounge. Help me out please!

The episode was called: "Search for Alien Planets," and was aired on the Science Channel the past few weeks.

http://science.discovery.com/tvlistings/episode.jsp?episode=0&cpi=51267&gid=0&channel=SCI

Answer 1

Giordano Bruno
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno

EDIT:
For the record, Bruno was an alchemist who was executed for his theological beliefs (Mary was not a virgin, Jesus was a magician, etc). His beliefs in the plurality of worlds played only a small part in his trial and sentencing.

Answer 2

No one as far as most people are aware of. It could have happened. But are you sure you weren't watching one of those apocalyptic or what if fiction shows that some of the "history and science" channels are so fond of making.

Edit:
To the person above me:Giordano Bruno (like Galilieo) was condemned for spreading the Copernican doctrine, which is not about life on other planets. But the revolution of the earth and sun and rotations of the universe.

Answer 3

Never heard that. Are you sure it was not fiction?


EDIT: So, I learned something new. There were over 50,000,000 people killed/ executed/murdered/ by the Catholic church and the Church of England between about 650 and 1800. Of course the Church of England was only involved for about 250 years and had a much smaller part. But the point is-there were so many murdered it hard to keep up with them all. For a good read on this see "Foxes Book of Martyrs".

Answer 4

Galileo did certainly bypass blind, yet no longer by way of church -- in actuality, it in all likelihood befell by way of fact he stared on the sunlight by using his telescope too plenty (although he did detect and rfile sunspots). that is stressful to talk with regards to the church burning and persecuting "scientists," by way of fact by utilising the time there have been particularly, expert "scientists" the church had in general stopped doing so. although, between six hundred CE and 1800 CE, the Catholics, Calvinists, Lutherans, Episcopals, and others performed around 250,000 people for "heresy," a lot of that have been advocating rational inquiry and fact, and whose "heresy" became in simple terms declaring reported information the church homes did no longer like... Peace.

Answer 5

He wasn't burned at the stake.
He was imprisoned,
He did take back his thesis. And his thesis was correct.
The earth does rotate auound the sun.

Answer 6

I am sorry but i can not remember his name either, but i think this happened around the time of Galileo and his telescope that changed the world.

Answer 7

Wow, I've never heard of this...but that's rediculous!

Answer 8

L. Ron Hubbard ?

Answer 9

Hmmm.... who didn't they burn for disagreement?