Edmond Halley
An Astronomical God, best known for Halley's Comet.
General facts
Halley was born on November 8, 1656 in London, England. He was born to a wealthy family of soap makers and despite a fire in his home at the age of 10, Halley's father was still wealthy enough to send him to St. Paul's University. After St. Paul's he went on with his schooling at The Queen's college in Oxford and finally became a Professor of Geometry at Oxford University. Halley died on January 14, 1742 at the age of 85.
Major discoveries
Halley's most famous contribution to science would have to have been Halley's Comet. (A rare comet projected to be seen only every 75 years. The next one is predicted to arrive in 2061) Other contributions include: Deep sea diving bells, the understanding of trade winds, cartography, naval navigation, mortality tables and stellar proper motion.
Hard Times
Halley's father disappeared when Halley was 28 years old. 5 weeks after his disappearance, he was found dead. This event surprisingly only caused a minor disruption in Halley's studies. As a whole Halley seemed mostly unaffected by his fathers death.
Did you know?
Edmund Halley had 3 children; 2 daughters and 1 son. Their names were Katherine, Margaret and Edmond.
He was incredibly close with Isaac Newton and helped him found the principles of Gravity.