In 2 12 BC, Roman troops invaded Syracuse and broke into Archimedes' house. They saw an old man burying his head in the ground into a geometric figure, and the soldiers trampled it down. Archimedes angered the soldiers: "Don't ruin my picture! The soldier drew his dagger and stabbed the great scientist, but Archimedes died at the hands of stupid and ignorant Roman soldiers.

To commemorate him, people carved the figure of the ball carved on the cylinder on his tombstone to commemorate his discovery that the volume and surface area of the ball are two-thirds of that of the circumscribed cylinder. After discovering the practice of regular heptagon ruler, German mathematician Gauss gave up the original intention of studying literature, devoted himself to mathematics, and even made many great contributions to mathematics. He even suggested in his will that a tombstone with a regular heptagon prism be built for him as a base.

2. Bruno's story

/kloc-Rome in 0/600. The Apennine Peninsula is sunny and the Tiber River is sparkling. The snow is already melting, even if the top of the mountain is still white in the distance, after all, spring is coming.

Compared with churches and palaces with high spires around them, a house built of gray stones and covered with lead is really like a grave. This is the cell of the world-famous Inquisition. At that time, the Catholic forces headed by the Pope ruled all countries on the Apennine Peninsula. They set up a cruel inquisition to deal with those who express opinions contrary to biblical teachings. They call these people "heretics".

Now, through the narrow window of the cell, you can see several people wearing red, black or white robes and pointy high hats around a bench. A man with long and dirty hair, a beard like weeds and tattered clothes was tied to a bench. At his feet, there is a can of hot oil. A man dressed in black spilled spoonfuls of oil on his feet. Every time he spills it, he twitches and mumbles.

"What is he saying?" The man in red asked the others. One of them replied:

"He said that the glaciers on the Caucasus could not cool the flames in his heart."

"What a stubborn man like the devil!" The cardinal cursed, then drew a cross on his chest and prayed, "Lord, let him get rid of those terrible thoughts."

..... Giordano Bruno fainted, and at night, when he woke up, he was cold and his feet looked as if they had been gouged out by thousands of knives. A cell with a lead roof is as cold as a refrigerator. However, his heart is burning, and there is an indescribable feeling of confusion, terror and irritability that bothers him.

"No, I won't go back on my word!" He said softly and firmly, "Even if they were burned to death like Servit. I think victory is attainable, and we must fight bravely for it. "

Fifty years of life, page by page in front of him. He recalled the past days, and from 400 million people, he always found comfort and strength.

Little Giordano was born in a small town near beautiful Naples. At the age of ten, the poor father had to send his children to a monastery. Monastery, for the poor, is almost the only way out except to be a soldier. He stayed in the monastery until he was 22 and became a monk.

However, the life of a monk like a donkey is so incompatible with Bruno, who is enthusiastic, sensitive and loves knowledge like sunshine. Other monks are like this: since the Bible says that God created heaven and earth and created the sun, moon and stars to shine on the earth, then God is the master of all things. What is there to doubt? But the "bold" Copernicus said that the earth only revolves around the sun.

A planet. Is it possible that Copernicus, whom Luther called a "madman", was more correct than the words of Jesus, the son of God? The idea is terrible to think of.

Bruno was moved by Copernicus' theory of celestial movement. After the monks in the monastery fell asleep on a lonely night, the young Giordano greedily pursued the truth of science. The fire of rebellion was burning in his heart, and he wrote a short article about Noah's Ark. Noah's Ark is a story in the Bible. It is said that before a flood broke out, Noah built a big ark and saved all the animals in the world. In this article, Bruno arranged such a discussion: animals are arguing about who is the best in the world, and the result is unanimously recognized as a donkey. The author sings: "Oh, the sacred donkey is as stupid, the sacred unlearned, the sacred dementia and piety! You have made people's hearts so pure that there is almost no wisdom and knowledge in front of you. " In this article, Bruno not only sharply criticized the monk "scholar" who closed his eyes and repeated biblical dogma, but also expressed doubts and sarcasm to the Vatican and Aristotle, who has always been regarded as an authority.

Someone accused Bruno of being a "heresy" of the Vatican, with a total of 130 "charges". Around Bruno, it began to be full of vicious surveillance eyes. He escaped. I spent three years in exile in various towns in Italy-Toulon, Genoa, Venice and Padua. Like Naples, these cities are full of cruel institutions to suppress heresy-the inquisition, and universities are full of Aristotle's followers. Finally, giordano bruno had to leave his hometown, his beloved land, cross the Alps and flee abroad.

During the thirteen years from 1578 to 159 1, giordano bruno almost traveled all over Europe. He has been to Geneva, Toulouse, Paris, London, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Marburg, wittenberg, Prague and Frankfurt. His speeches in many universities caused a sensation in these cities. His pamphlet made devout Catholics and Christians tremble, while young people greeted the "restless" professor with warm applause and cheers. His erudition, enthusiasm, eloquence and sharp satire, especially his bold thoughts and his genius speculation, kindled the hearts of every young man like a torch.

During his long exile, he gradually formed his own theory of the universe.

"Stars, this is not a golden nail embedded in the sky. This is a sun as big and bright as our sun, but because they are very far from the earth, they look like smaller points. "

Yes, Copernicus has clearly told people that the sun is the center of the world. It radiates light and heat, just like an eternal torch. Around the sun, there are six planets orbiting it. Their names are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were not found at that time). Outside, it is a sky full of stars. But Bruno's thought goes further than his teacher's. In front of him, there is an endless vast space, and the world has no head. The sun is not the center of the universe, but only among the stars.

Only one.

He shouted, "find a credible argument!" " Break these walls decorated with jewels and throw them to the ground with noise and a bang! Prove to people that there is not only one world, but also an infinite one. Open the door so that everyone can see other stars like the sun. "

A talented scholar will not stop there, he will let his thoughts go further.

"Countless worlds are produced in the vast mind of the boundless universe. Development, extinction and reappearance ... There are countless earths in the universe that revolve around their own sun, just like those planets revolve around our sun. "

This seems to be an absurd idea ... the earth moves around other stars! No one has ever seen it-even today, with the help of the most powerful telescopes and the latest instruments, we still can't see another distant planet in the solar system. But we firmly believe that this is the most amazing scientific prediction, which is completely correct, just like a shadow appears on the screen. We say that there must be an opaque object in front of the light source.

Giordano Bruno is far beyond his own time. He boldly suggested that there are creatures on other planets, and even animals with wisdom, thinking and rational life like human beings.

The genius of scholars shook the rule of the church. The Bible says that God created man in his own image, and the sun, the moon and the stars all exist to shine on man. However, the "heresy" of "audacity" strongly advocates that human beings are only the product of natural development.

In those cities north of the Alps, the Pope is beyond his reach; However, the disciples of Luther, who once burned the papal edict and appeared as "revolutionaries" in the history of religion, still greeted this famous "heretical" scholar with vicious eyes and sharp iron claws. Around Bruno, the air was so heavy that he had to escape again and again. Only in Paris did the young king treat Bruno as a VIP. However, Bruno, who didn't want to be a court scholar, didn't stay.

159 1 February, Bruno received a letter from a Venetian aristocrat named Mocini, politely invited him back, and assured him that the persecution of the Pope would not befall him in the private residence of the aristocrat. Miss China, the picturesque Italian miss giordano bruno, fell into the hands of the Inquisition in this scam.

The cardinal himself came to torture this famous heresy. The most cruel punishment was imposed on this half-dead man one by one.

However, Bruno did not give in. He said to himself:

"If the court of ignorance scares you and tries to destroy your precious career, you must stick to it and don't lose courage or even go backwards. A rational and lofty court can distinguish between light and darkness, and sincere witnesses and defenders who cannot be tempted will be reborn for your career. "

Eight years have passed. ...

The heavy iron gate opened with a clang. Several men in black came in, helped Bruno up and left without saying a word.

Even in court, Bruno's expression is still awe-inspiring. In the court, sat Matt Gidge, the supreme judge of the Inquisition, who was famous for his cruelty, as well as cardinals, bishops and theologians.

The verdict has begun. The verdict states in detail that Giordano Bruno "has lived in a heretical country for a long time, and he himself has lived a lawless and demonic life". So he is not only an ordinary "heresy", but also a leader of "heresy". The verdict said that the "gentle persuasion" of the Inquisition had no effect on "heresy", and he was "dishonest" and "stubborn" like the devil. Now we must hand him over to the secular regime. Finally, the judgment suggested to the secular regime: "Punish heresy as gently as possible. Don't bleed. "

Qiao Danuo's heart trembled like a cold wind. He knew what the words "Don't bleed" meant, and Servit's fate really came to him.

However, he is still calm, from the broken lips, gently, but clearly spit out this sentence:

"I think your fear when you announced the verdict was even greater than when I heard this sentence."

The judge and the bishop looked at each other. By this time, "heresy" has not given in!

The shares were held on February 17.

Baihua Square is crowded with people from all directions. In the middle of the square, stands a tall cross, to which Bruno is tied. His face was pale and his eyes were fixed on the distant sky. The firewood was at his feet, and the fire was blazing.

Pope Climent VIII, his cardinals and cardinals all came to the square. They think, maybe at this last moment, "heretics" will give up their "terrible thoughts"? However, in the mouth of the martyrs surrounded by flames and smoke, such a sentence was uttered: "Fire can't conquer me, and the future century will know me and know my value."

Three hundred years have passed. The Tiber River still flows like that, and the sunshine on the Apennine Peninsula is so warm. Rome experienced war and bloodshed, and the thought of Bruno, a materialist soldier, rose among the free people.