Facts of 'Issac Newton'

'Issac Newton'(1643 - 1727)

One genius dies, another one is born. Isaac Newton was born in 1642, the same year that Galileo Galilei died. Sir Isaac Newton was the greatest scientist that ever lived. More than any other person, Newton was single-handedly responsible for laying the the groundwork in classical mechanics, optics, and even mathematics. Landing man on the moon? Don't look at Einstein - it was all done with Newtonian physics.

1. Isaac was a very small baby not expected to survive. His mother even said that Isaac was so small that he could have fit inside a quart mug.

2. Newton actually studied for a degree in law. Newton’s mother wanted Isaac to become a farmer, but Isaac had no interest in farming exams and failed!

3. There's no doubt that Newton was brilliant, but what is not commonly known was that the majority of Newton's discoveries were made between his twenty-first and twenty-seventh years. Yet, he didn't disclose these findings to the world until years later.

4. Isaac Newton disliked to hear any criticism and he became embroiled in a bitter row with Robert Hooke, an original member of the Royal Academy.


5. One of the key mathematical achievements of Newton was the development of infinitesimal calculus. The calculus was also the center point of an intellectual battle between him and another mathematician Gottfried Leibniz over who had first developed the method.The Newtonian telescope, a type of reflecting telescope, was developed by Newton in 1668. It was the first functional telescope in the history of reflecting telescopes.

6. The equation devised by Newton about gravity is called the inverse square law of attraction. Newton concluded that sunlight is a combination of all the colors of the spectrum and that the sunlight separates when passed through the prism because its component colors are of differing refrangibility.

7. Newton’s laws become increasingly inaccurate when speeds reach substantial fractions of the speed of light, or when the force of gravity is very large. Einstein’s equations are then required to produce reliable results.
8. The “apple tree” story never happened. It is claimed Newton’s discovered the theory of gravity after watching an apple fall in the orchard. Newton himself would tell the story of an apple falling from a tree giving him inspiration for his work on gravity. However, there is no evidence he was actually hit by an apple!

9. Worried about the supposed Apocalypse in 2012? Never Fear: Newton spent a lot of time studying the subject. In fact, he believed that God had chosen him specifically to interpret the Bible — and concluded that the world would end no sooner than 2060.
10. He was elected as Member of Parliament for the University in 1700, but only held this post for a year.

11. In 1696, Newton was appointed warden of the Royal Mint. He took his duties very seriously, seeking to prevent corruption. As master of the Mint, Newton moved the British currency, from the silver to the gold standard.

12. Newton was fascinated with religion, though didn’t hold orthodox views. He wrote an article on textual criticism of the Bible. In spite of his deep religious conviction, Newton was unorthodox when it comes to his belief of the devil, spirits and ghosts. He also assailed people who claimed to be tempted by personal demons as deluded by their own imaginations.

13. His dog set his laboratory on fire, ruining 20 years of research. Late in life, Newton suffered a nervous breakdown and became known for rather eccentric behavior. Newton has the most valuable tooth. One of his teeth was sold in 1816 at auction for approx $3,600. In today’s terms that’s about $35,000, prompting Guinness World Records to declare it the most valuable tooth in the world.

14. One of Newton’s most famous quotes was

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

15. English poet Alexander Pope wrote the following epithet for Newton.

“Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night;

God said “Let Newton be” and all was light.”

16. The Great Albert Einstein kept A picture of the great Newton was always on his study wall alongside ones of Michel Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell.