Santorio Santorii was born on March 29, 1561. The Venetian physiologist, physician, and professor was the first person to accurately measure the
pulse rate and also invented the pulsilogium, a form of pendulum, based on the work by Galileo Galilei. The pulsilogium was probably the first machine of precision in medical history. Extensive experimentation with his new tool allowed Santorio to derive the circadian rhythm (24 hour cycle) of the cardiac frequency.
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| Sanctorio sitting in the balance that he made to calculate his net weight |
John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States, was born on March 29, 1790 at Greenway Plantation, Charles City County, Virginia, U.S. He was born the same day as his future running mate, William Henry Harrison. John was reared with his two brothers and five sisters, on Greenway Plantation, a 1,200-acre (5 km2) estate with a six-room manor house his father had built.
For more March 29 anniversaries, including the patenting of the modern shoelace, the creation of Coca Cola and the marriage of Tony Blair to Cherie Booth, check out
OnThatDay.