Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 09:05:14 -0600

Author: Paul Nord

Subject: Re: Galileo Galilei

Post:

Because it's much easier to say. Though I'm surprised that we don't
use his full name. It's so much fun to say.

It's strange how history treats names. Evil villains are often
remembered with their full name: John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald,
William Jefferson Clinton.

I don't think that there any scientists remembered with their middle
names.

Paul

On Friday, November 15, 2002, at 05:43 AM, Anthony Lapinski wrote:

> This is something I've wondered about for years: Why is Galileo the
> only
> scientist we (and textbooks) normally refer to by his first name
> (unlike
> Newton, Einstein, Joule, etc.)? I hear that Galileo was really his last
> name. Anybody know?
>