Today, it’s common knowledge that there are many other galaxies beyond our own. But it wasn’t until Edwin Hubble discovered his first Cepheid variable star that this mind-blowing fact was illuminated.

Born in 1889 in Missouri, Hubble was raised on science fiction novels. A fascination for the world around him led him to pursue a career in the sciences and obtain a PhD in astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1914.

As World War One loomed, Hubble completed his dissertation and swiftly embarked on military duty in France. Remarkably, the 86th Division, to which he belonged, saw no combat. So, unharmed by war, Hubble returned to the US to work at Mount Wilson Observatory where he made the discovery that completely reimagined our place in the universe.