1659 in science

Last updated October 19, 2025

The year 1659 in science and technology involved some significant events.

Astronomy

Christiaan Huygens publishes Systema Saturnium, including the first illustration of the Orion Nebula.

Mathematics

First known use of the term Abscissa , by Stefano degli Angeli.^[1]
Swiss mathematician Johann Rahn publishes Teutsche Algebra, containing the first printed use of the 'division sign' (÷, a repurposed obelus variant) as a mathematical symbol for division and of the 'therefore sign' (∴).

Medicine

Thomas Willis publishes De Febribus.

Physics

Christiaan Huygens derives the formula for centripedal force.

Births

February 27 – William Sherard, English botanist (died 1728)
June 3 – David Gregory, Scottish astronomer (died 1708)

Deaths

October 10 – Abel Tasman, Dutch explorer (born 1603)

References

↑ According to Moritz Cantor. "Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics (A)". Jeff Miller Web Pages. 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2011-04-24.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] According to Moritz Cantor. "Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics (A)". Jeff Miller Web Pages. 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2011-04-24.

[1]