Your link dates this event in the mid-17th century. > The particular concept of the scientific, empirical fact ("a truth known by observation or authentic test

Your link dates this event in the mid-17th century. > The particular concept of the scientific, empirical fact ("a truth known by observation or authentic testimony") emerged in English 1660s, via Hooke, Boyle, etc., in The Royal Society TFA mentions Galileo, who was approximately contemporary (1564 to 1642). A link in TFA [0] focusses in a lot more detail on recent history. [0] https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/iai.00921-15 https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/iai.00921-15