* Ancient Greeks: Philosophers like Aristotle and others had rudimentary ideas about motion and speed. However, their understanding was largely qualitative.
* Galileo Galilei (16th-17th century): Galileo was instrumental in laying the groundwork for modern physics. His experiments with inclined planes and falling objects helped quantify the relationship between distance, time, and speed.
* Isaac Newton (17th century): Newton's laws of motion formally defined velocity as the rate of change of displacement over time. His work provided a mathematical framework for understanding motion.
Therefore, it's not accurate to attribute the discovery of velocity to a single individual. Rather, it developed through the contributions of many scientists over centuries.