The idea that the Earth revolves around the Sun, known as the heliocentric model, was first proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus in his book "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) published in 1543.

While Copernicus wasn't the first to suggest the Earth wasn't the center of the universe, his work provided a mathematical model that was more accurate than the prevailing geocentric model (Earth-centered) and laid the groundwork for later astronomers like Galileo and Kepler.