In 1473, on February 19, a well-known future mathematician/astronomer was born in the city of Torun, Poland. Born as Nicolaus Copernicus, he was the fourth and youngest child of Nicolaus Copernicus Sr. and Barbara Watzenrode. Copernicus was, technically, born into German heritage. That being said, his primary language was German, but many researchers believe he was also fluent in Polish. At ten years old, misfortune befell Nicolas; His father died. After Nicolas Sr. died, a maternal uncle stepped in and took over the parental role. Nicholas' uncle took matters into his own hands to ensure that Copernicus acquired the most remarkable education possible. Copernicus enrolled at the University of Krakow in 1491. At the university he studied painting and mathematics. At this time, Copernicus did not take any astronomy courses. Nicolas developed a growing interest in the cosmos and books. He then began a collection of books on astronomy. After graduating from Krakow in 1494, Nicholas returned to Torun. Copernicus' uncle had already had a job as a gunner lined up for him before his arrival. This work at Frombork Cathedral was usually entrusted to priests. An opportunity so lucky and unusual that Copernicus accepted the job. He then held this position for the rest of his life. The canon position allowed him to finance money to continue his education for as long as he wanted. There was really only one major drawback to this work. It took up a lot of his time, leaving him with very little free time. We got to the point where academics had to come second. In 1496, Nicholas took leave from his work. Not a two week vacation,...... middle of paper...... disclaimer. But at this time Copernicus' health was deteriorating. He was getting weak and old and he could no longer defend his work. In addition to drawing for other researchers, Copernicus was working on a book. The book was published in 1543, just before his death. He dedicated his book De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium to Pope Paul III. His book discriminated against the pope, so the Catholic Church banned it, and the book remained on the list of books prohibited from reading for almost three centuries. The mathematician and scholar named Georg Joachim Rheticus gave Copernicus a newly printed copy of his book De Revolutionibus orbium coelstium in May 1543. Nicholas had recently had a stroke and was suffering from it. Copernicus is believed to have died in his bed, with a book in his hand, on May 24, 1543, in Frauenburg, Poland...