In 1639, at Much Hoole, 10 miles southwest of Preston, Jeremiah Horrocks was the first person to predict and observe the transit of Venus (when Venus is visible as a black dot on the face of the sun). The Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory in Preston commemorates him, as do a plaque and stained-glass window in Much Hoole church.
Horrocks died in 1641 aged only 23. Had he lived, he would now be as famous as Isaac Newton.
The last transit of Venus was in 2012. If you missed it, don't worry: there will be another in 2117.