Half-truths about Galileo and the telescope all dressed up in a kitschy graphic

Every year in August various websites and social media accounts celebrate the anniversary of Galileo’s demonstration of his telescope to the Senate of Venice, they almost invariably get the date wrong. Way back in 2009, I wrote and posted A Telescope Chronology on my blog giving the correct dates for the early events associated with the telescope. Every year I would then correct the errant announcements. This year I couldn’t be bothered until the graphic below turned up on Twitter. Not only did it get the date wrong, but it is also unfortunately the usually Galileo-Telescope hagiography that gets a lot wrong and simply ignores a lot of pertinent information. So, I’ve decided to let my old buddy the HISTSCI_HULK, known to his friends as Hulky to analyse it in his usual blunt manner. Hulky: Alright we’ll start at the beginning for all you lug-heads at the back of the class who weren’t payin’ bleedin’ attention: 21st August 1609: Galileo demonstrates his telescope to the aristocrats of…