12/27/1571 AD born
Kepler was born prematurely and was a sickly child. A bout with smallpox left him with poor eyesight and crippled hands
— hardly the tools of an observational astronomer. However, he showed mathematical aptitude as a child and was deeply religious.
Although his grandfather had been Lord Mayor, by the time Kepler was born, the family's fortune was declining. His mother was an herbalist, later to be accused of witchcraft. His father was a mercenary believed to have died in the 80 Years War when Johannes was about five.
