31 December
1719: On 31 December 1719, John Flamsteed died.
Flamsteed was an English astronomer who established the Greenwich Observatory. He was one of a group of scientists who convinced King Charles II to build it as a national observatory.
Appointed the first Astronomer Royal (1675-1719), Flamsteed was devoted to astronomical measurement, with the task of accurately providing the positions of stars for use in navigation. He eventually produced the first star catalogue, which gave the positions of nearly 3000 stars. He also worked on the motions of the Sun and Moon, and made tidal tables.
