Decisive Discovery: Earth's Age Unveiled
The history of our knowledge about the age of the Earth is a fascinating journey through decades of scientific discoveries. Initially, scientists believed that our planet was only a few tens of millions of years old, but then they gradually refined their calculations: from the early amazing figures of 20–90 million to more expansive estimates in the billions of years. In the early 20th century, new data suggested that the Earth was about one billion years old, and later 1.6 billion years – step by step, the scientific community inched closer to the truth. The decisive breakthrough occurred in 1956, when research confirmed that the Earth is indeed about 4.5 billion years old. This result not only became a turning point for the modern hypothesis of the planet's origin, but also opened new horizons for further research into the origin of the world in which we live. This leap in understanding demonstrates how the gradual refinement of scientific data can transform our perception of the Earth and its history.
What year can be considered the starting point for the formation of the modern hypothesis about the origin of the Earth?It is considered that the starting point for the modern hypothesis on the origin of the Earth was 1956, when estimations that placed the Earth's age at 4.5 billion years were presented. This value, obtained as a result of the gradual refinement of estimates (following earlier, significantly lower estimates ranging from 20–90 million years, then figures around 1–1.6 billion years and 3.35 billion years), became the defining one for the further development of the modern model of the origin of our planet.