1. Scientists Executed

Mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus proposed a revolutionary new astronomical model — instead of the Earth being at the center of the universe, the Earth revolved around the sun. This was a problem in the 16th century because the Bible contained several passages that implied that the Earth was at the center of everything. Copernicus died passed away before his theories spread, but his followers, Galileo and Giordano Bruno, were tried and found guilty of heresy by the Inquisition. Bruno was burned at the stake.