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Thales of Miletus was one of the first Ancient Greek philosophers and astronomers. He was the first to break from the use of mythology to explain natural phenomena. His most famous idea is his thesis that "all is water." Thales's cosmological model featured Earth as a flat disk floating on a huge sea. The Sun, the Moon, and the stars (which he theorized to be flaming balls of dirt) all revolved around the Earth. Interestingly, Thales correctly thought that the Moon reflects the light of the Sun. He was able to use his model to successfully predict the solar eclipse of 585 BCE.
Although Thales's model was very simple compared to later ones, his was the first to not rely on mythological explanations. A crater on the Moon is named after him.
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Anaximander Ptolemy Thales Philolaus Tolkien (First Age) Tolkien (Second Age) Tolkien (Third Age)