31. Galileo Galilei
Galileo, the father of modern science, was one of the greatest thinkers who ever lived. His laws of motion paved the way for Newton and the scientific revolution. He improved the telescope into something that was able to detect moons orbiting Jupiter. Plus, Galileo advocated a heliocentric universe, in which the sun, rather than the earth, was the center. His views led to conflict with the church, which at the time insisted on a geocentric universe. Notably, many astronomers in history have been Jesuits, so Galileo’s case seems to be an exception to the rule about the church and science.