1550 in science
Medicine
approx. date – Establishment of St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in London.Technology
- Commencement of laying out of gardens at the Villa d'Este, Tivoli, Italy, for Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este with sophisticated hydraulic features designed by Tommaso Chiruchi with Claude Venard.
Publications
- Gerolamo Cardano publishes his comprehensive survey of the natural sciences, De subtilitate, in Nuremberg.
- Giovanni Battista Ramusio begins publication of Navigationi et Viaggi, a collection of explorers' first-hand accounts of their travels, the first work of its kind.
Births
- September 30 – Michael Maestlin, German astronomer and mathematician
- John Napier, Scottish mathematician
- Anselmus de Boodt, Flemish mineralogist and physician
- Jacques Guillemeau, French surgeon
- Ferrante Imperato, Neapolitan natural historian approximate date
- * Willem Barentsz, Dutch explorer
- * Marin le Bourgeoys, French inventor and artist