Who Was Galileo? by Patricia Brennan Demuth

 Who Was…? biography series for middle grade fascinates with the story of Galileo – the father of modern science who proved Copernicus’ theory that Sun doesn’t circle the Earth.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was born in Pisa, Italy. His father was a musician who also wrote books about music theory. There were strict rules even for composing. His father liked to question those strict rules. And that’s something that Galileo learned from his father to question in search of truth.

From childhood, Galileo was very curious, taking apart machines to see how they worked. He even invented some toys. He also liked music and drawing. During his time, very few people attended university. His father was determined to give his smart son the best possible education.

In 1581, Galileo enrolled at University of Pisa, where he liked to argue about ideas. His classmates nicknamed him “the Wrangler.” He poured himself into study of math. He noticed that a pendulum swinging wide and fast takes the same amount of time to go back and forth as when it slows nearly to a stop.

At nineteen, he’d discovered a mathematical law. He was the first one to use a scientific method. Thus, he is known as the father of modern science.

After four years, he left university without any degree. He returned home which was now Florence, where his family lived. He privately taught math and gave lectures.

Meanwhile, he continued to do his own research. He was interested in nature and how the energy and water worked. It led him to invent a water pump which helped farmers irrigate their crops.

Later, he invented a scale and published a book about it. Word spread out about his outstanding work, and he was offered a job in mathematics as professor at University of Pisa. But the thinking here was still too restricted for him.

Then, came a position at University of Padua which was a much better fit for him as it was a freethinking place. His brilliant reputation continued to grow.

In 1957, he invented compass. Then, thermometer.

In 1609, he heard of a spyglass being invented. He set to work to make his own spyglass. After improving his own telescope, he turned it toward the heavens and observed it. He uncovered an outstanding number of heavenly secrets.

His next book made him famous all over Europe. He also secured a patron - Grand Duke Cosimo II Medici. Thus, he was able to leave his job in Padua and return to Florence where he could fully dedicate himself to research.

After observing the sky, he proved what Copernicus noticed in 1543 that it’s the earth that moves and not the sun. The attacks against him grew as he continued to make findings that clashed with old ideas.

He was silenced by the Church and later charged with heresy at the age of seventy. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest and was never to publish another book.

What restored his spirit was going back to studying motion. He invented a better clock. His last book about motion and matter was smuggled to Holland in 1638 where it was published and became important groundwork for future scientists, including Isaac Newton.

This biography epitomizes a man who, because of his curious mind and constant questioning, was able to discover so much like Leonardo da Vinci before him. 

This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 7-11, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.

Published by Penguin Workshop in 2015

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself.” – Galileo

 

 

Traits:

·         Galileo learned from his father to question in search of truth.

·         From childhood, he was very curious, taking apart machines to see how they worked.

·         At school, he liked to argue about ideas.

·         He left university without any degree since the thinking and rules of the time were too restricted for him, but he continued his own research.

·         His research led him to different inventions which he described and published. Word spread out about his outstanding work.

·         His ideas clashed with the Church at the time and he was put under house arrest which restricted him to the rest of his life. Despite that he still continued his research within his confinement, and was able to smuggle his last findings to Holland to be published. That turned out to be pivotal for future scientists.

 

 

“Passion is the genesis of genius.” – Galileo

“I have never met a man so ignorant that I could not learn something from him.” – Galileo

“Philosophy is written in that great book which ever lies before our eyes – I mean the universe – but we cannot understand it if we do not first learn the language and grasp the symbols in which it is written.” - Galileo

Sam Walton: The Man Who Invented Walmart by Wil Mara

 This biography for middle grade explores the traits of a fascinating man who became the founder of the world’s largest retail business.

Samuel Moore Walton (1918-1992) was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. When he was five, his family moved to Missouri. He had one younger brother.

He came to understand the importance of money early in life. His father worked on family farm barely making ends meet. Sam helped out with any chore he could. He also made milk deliveries, sold magazine subscriptions and delivered newspapers after school, while other boys played with friends.

When the Great Depression struck in 1929, he saw how important it was to have enough money. He worked hard at school and outside school. His work ethic was very strong. He had friendly personality and it made him popular at school. He liked sports because he liked to compete and win.

The parents encouraged his both sons to go to college. Sam took various jobs to help with paying for tuition. In 1940, he got a degree in economics from the University of Missouri.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do afterwards. He decided to give it a try in the retail business. He got a job with J.C. Penny. He became a manager of a store in Iowa. As much as he enjoyed his job, he gave it up to serve during WWII.

In 1945, he got back to the retail business, but this time he wanted his own business. He invested in Ben Franklin chain of retail stores. He took over the Ben Franklin in Newport which wasn’t doing well. Sam quickly figured out how to improve sales but the chain owners had their own ideas how to run the business which clashed with Sam’s ideas. Sam decided to ignore the company’s rules and did things his own way. Despite his success, he had to give up his store after five years due to rent renewal issue. He used what he learned here for his next venture.

He found a struggling business in Arkansas and bought it. He fixed up the store and made it more modern. He listened to customers what they wanted. And they wanted to look at the merchandise themselves instead having a clerk hand it to them. Sam saw an opportunity on saving money by hiring fewer people. This also led customers to buying more than they needed. Thus, higher sales. Sam was a strong believer in selling more for less and that’s what he did. The store became a huge success. Thus, he started opening more stores.

Sam believed that discount stores were the future but the owners of the Ben Franklin chain disagreed. Sam decided to open his own chain with his brother. Thus, the first Walmart was opened on July 2^nd, 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Within five years, he opened twenty-four Walmarts.

Sam was full of energy, enthusiasm and vision, always looking for new ideas how to improve the successes he already had. In 1980, he opened Sam’s Club to buy products in bulk.

This biography exemplifies a man who wasn’t afraid to try new things, who wasn’t afraid to fail as he knew there were lessons to be learned from failures and to apply the knowledge to the next venture. He always had a positive attitude. He started from nothing and through learning and listening he got to the top.

The story is presented with simple sentences so it could be read by its target audience ages 8-10 years. It gives much depth to Walton’s story and how enthusiastic and full of vision he was. He understood the importance of learning from setbacks which is visible in this story.

Source: Children’s Press, 2013

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “If you try something and it doesn’t work, learn from that failure and try something else. But above all else, always try something.” – Sam Walton

 

 

 

Traits:

·         He understood the importance of money early in life. Thus, he helped his father with any chores he could around the farm.

·         He made milk deliveries, sold magazine subscriptions and delivered newspapers after school while other boys played with friends.

·         He worked hard at school and outside school.

·         His work ethic was very strong.

·         He had friendly personality and it made him popular at school.

·         He liked sports because he liked to compete and win.

·         After college, not sure what to do, he decided to give it a try in the retail business. He became successful as manager at J.C. Penny.

·         Then, applied his knowledge to managing his own business.

·         Not agreeing with chain owners, and having visions others didn’t see at the time led him to open his own retail chain.

·         He listened to customers what they wanted while shopping.

·         He was full of energy and positivity.

 

 

“If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can.” – Sam Walton

“Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom.” – Sam Walton

“We’re all working together, that’s the secret.” – Sam Walton

“One person seeking glory doesn’t accomplish very much.” – Sam Walton

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton

“Celebrate your successes. Find some humor in your failures.” – Sam Walton

“Nothing else can quite substitute a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth of fortune.” – Sam Walton