Tycho Brahe

October 24, 1601 - This was the day that Tycho Brahe finally succumbed to an ailment that had plagued him for 11 tortuous days. He was one of the most brilliant minds in the field of astronomy. His assistant, Johannes Kepler would depend on Brahe's precise measurements and observations to formulate his ground-breaking Laws of Planetary Motion.

Brahe was quite a character. As a young man he lost the bridge of his nose in a duel, so for over 30 years he wore a variety of gold, silver and copper prosthetics on his face.

He had a dwarf named Jepp who would hang out under Brahe's dinner table. Brahe also kept a pet moose that roamed around his castle. Sadly, the moose eventually died after drinking too much beer and falling down some stairs.

Brahe also met a drinking-related demise. The beginning of the end was a long banquet that he attended in Prague along with his protege, Kepler. According to Kepler's account, Brahe was drinking heavily but he refused to leave the table to relieve himself because he believed it would be a breach of etiquette.

When he eventually did try to urinate, it was extremely painful, and only a small amount would come out. His condition worsened over the course of a week and a half, and finally he died.

Some scientists believe that it was kidney failure that killed him, while others think it was mercury poisoning.

To commemorate Brahe's huge contributions to the study of astronomy, his name has been applied to everything from ferry boats to Moon craters.