Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy in 1564. He was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who is widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time. His contributions to the scientific revolution of the 17th century were immense, and he is credited with making groundbreaking discoveries in the fields of physics, astronomy, and mathematics. He is best known for his work on the law of falling bodies, which laid the foundation for modern physics, and for his improvements to the telescope, which allowed him to observe the moons of Jupiter and the phases of Venus.