One of science’s greatest figures is Sir Isaac Newton. Many think about this man whenever they take a bite out of an apple, but this household name may never have even had a piece of fruit strike him in the head. In a moment of thought while looking out the window, Newton is said to have thought about gravity when he say the fruit drop instead.
1. An Apocolyptic Prediction
Newton loved science, but he also regularly studied the Bible. Many of his writings, in fact, are more about philosophy and religion than they are about science. He often studied the Bible to find inklings of inspiration. In one of his papers, he even predicted that the end of the world would happen in the year 2060.
2. The Dog Did It
Newton is one of the few people who can actually claim a dog ate his homework. His beloved pooched burned down his lab one day, although some believe the story was invented to cover the fact that Newton himself managed to torch his own work area.
3. Credit the Bully
Newton was not really fond of school. One day, however, a bully came his way and beat him up. Newton vowed to get even, so he challenged the bully to a fight and wound up winning. Then he decided that being physically better wasn’t good enough. He focused on his studies so that he could intellectually defeat this bully as well.
4. A Calculated Effort
Newton is often credited with the invention of Calculus, but a German mathematician named Gottfried Leibniz also claimed credit. The Royal Society eventually concluded that Leibniz had no claim on Calculus and that Newton was the true inventor. Who wrote the concluding comments that discredited Leibniz? Newton, of course.
5. Popular Tools
In 1668, Newton developed what would become his most famous invention: the reflecting telescope. The technology that he developed is still regularly used today by amateur astronomers who want to see more of the stars than the human eye can see.
Sir Isaac Newton brought a great many ideas up for consideration. He published over 160 books on various subjects and people today are still discussing his thoughts and theories on a regular basis.
