8 Historical Figures That Deserve To Be Remembered

Tycho Brahe was born the son of the Governor of Helsingborg.

He was kidnapped at a young age by his wealthy uncle, who raised young Tycho in his castle.

Aged fourteen, Tycho witnessed an eclipse of the sun which changed his life forever. He spent the following years studying law by day and the stars by night. He constructed his own instruments so that he could accurately plot star positions.

He then travelled, making it his goal to correct the misconceptions laid down by previous astronomers. During this time, he had an argument with a cousin over which of them was better at maths, and lost part of his nose in the resulting duel. He wore a prosthesis from them on.

Eventually, funded by the King of Denmark, he built his own observatory on the island of Hven, of which he was made Lord.

When the King died, his successor made sure Brahe's influence dwindled. Becoming frustrated and disinterested in his civic duties, he left for Prague.

He began working with Johannes Kepler, and together they pioneered astronomy, working on a star catalogue now known as the Rudolphine Tables.

Brahe died suddenly in 1601 at the age of 54, and it has been speculated that he was a victim of poisoning, of which Kepler was suspected.

Brahe was a man who lived in unenlightened times, and he questioned established scientific theories, making it his life's work to correct what he identified as inaccurate. He was Lord of his own island, with its own super-dope observatory, and was essentially the first ever Bond villain.

Also, the prosthetic nose that he had worn for 34 years of his life was made of brass. And, as if a man with a metal nose watching the stars wasn't cool enough, he had others made of gold and silver for special occasions.