THOMAS HERIOT
(Thomas Harriot)
What is extremely ironic is that Heriot and the English thought tobacco was very healthy for the user. Between this error and the addictive properties of tobacco, more people have been killed by tobacco than any other substance on earth. Heriot also discovered the potato, and was the first man to introduce it to England. Prior to that, this staple of the European diet was unknown in Europe.
Thomas Harriot, also spelled Harriott, Hariot or Heriot, was an English astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer and translator who made advances within the scientific field. Thomas Harriot was recognized for his contributions in astronomy, mathematics, and navigational techniques. Harriot worked closely with John White to create advanced maps for navigation. While Harriot worked extensively on numerous papers on the subjects of astronomy, mathematics and navigation, the amount of work that he actually published was extremely sparse, namely only The Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia. This book includes descriptions of English settlements and financial issues in Virginia at the time. He is sometimes credited with the introduction of the potato to the British Isles. Harriot was the first person to make a drawing of the Moon through a telescope, on 26 July 1609, over four months before Galileo Galilei.