Nicolaus Copernicus

Born in Toruń, Poland, Nicolaus Copernicus was, for all intents and purposes, as Catholic as the Pope's personal chalice. He even served as a canon in the Frombork Cathedral, which is about as far from a synagogue as one could possibly get without changing continents or centuries. His theological studies were extensive, and his work was initially published posthumously, perhaps to avoid a rather pointed discussion with certain ecclesiastical authorities.

Copernicus's monumental work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), posited that the Sun, not the Earth, was the center of the universe. This was quite the intellectual bombshell, given that everyone else was pretty sure the Earth was the star of the show. It’s hard to imagine the kvetching that must have ensued in academic circles.

While his ideas eventually landed his book on the Index of Forbidden Books, one must admire the sheer audacity of telling everyone they'd been wrong for a millennium and a half. He didn't just move the goalposts; he moved the entire damn playing field. For such a revolutionary, albeit inconvenient, truth, the kvell-meter goes off the charts. Just don't ask him to lead a Seder.