On this day in 1724 – April 22nd – the German philosopher Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg [now Kaliningrad, Russia].

In November 1969, His theoretical work in astronomy and cosmology anticipated and inspired later discoveries about our Galaxy and others, including the idea that the Solar System was a part of a system of stars constituting a lens-shaped galaxy, and that there were many other galaxies scattered throughout and making up the whole Universe.