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Early Modern · Europe

Isaac Newton

1642-1727 CEScientist

English mathematician and natural philosopher who formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation and revolutionized optics and calculus.

Overview

Born premature on Christmas Day 1642: the same year Galileo died, Isaac Newton would become the most influential scientist who ever lived. During the plague years of 1665-66, while Cambridge was closed, the young Newton retreated to his family farm and, in an extraordinary burst of solitary genius, developed calculus, discovered that white light is composed of colors, and conceived the law of universal gravitation.

His Principia Mathematica (1687) showed that the same force making an apple fall also keeps the Moon in orbit, a revolution in human understanding. Difficult, reclusive, and vindictive in his feuds, Newton nevertheless left us the framework for physics that stood unchallenged until Einstein. He said: 'If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.'

Newton’s world, year by year

16421727

Dated facts

Account · checked against Wikipedia Read the source

  1. 1642Isaac Newton was born on 25 December 1642 (Old Style; 4 January 1643 New Style) at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire.
  2. 1661He was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, in June 1661 and succeeded Isaac Barrow as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669.
  3. 1668In late 1668 he produced the first reflecting telescope, and his work on light was collected in Opticks, published in 1704.
  4. 1687His Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, first published in 1687, set out the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
  5. 1689He served two brief terms as Member of Parliament for the University of Cambridge, in 1689–1690 and 1701–1702.
  6. 1696He moved to London as Warden of the Royal Mint in 1696, became Master in 1699, and was president of the Royal Society from 1703.
  7. 1705He was knighted by Queen Anne in April 1705 during a royal visit to Trinity College, Cambridge.
  8. 1727He died in his sleep in London on 20 March 1727 (Old Style; 31 March 1727 New Style), aged 84.

Alive at the same time

Overlap Same years; not influence

Wars during this life

  • Mughal–Maratha Wars 1680–1707
  • Ottoman-Venetian War of Candia 1645–1669
  • Anglo-Dutch Wars 1652–1674
  • Great Northern War 1700–1721
  • Great Turkish War 1683–1699
  • War of the Spanish Succession 1701–1714

Primary works and follow-on reading.

  • Never at Rest - Richard Westfall
  • Isaac Newton - James Gleick

Frequently asked questions about Isaac Newton.

Who was Isaac Newton?

Born premature on Christmas Day 1642: the same year Galileo died, Isaac Newton would become the most influential scientist who ever lived. During the plague years of 1665-66, while Cambridge was closed, the young Newton retreated to his family farm and, in an extraordinary burst of solitary genius, developed calculus, discovered that white light is composed of colors, and conceived the law of universal gravitation. His Principia Mathematica (1687) showed that the same force making an apple fall also keeps the Moon in orbit, a revolution in human understanding. Difficult, reclusive, and vindictive in his feuds, Newton nevertheless left us the framework for physics that stood unchallenged until Einstein. He said: 'If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.'

What was Isaac Newton best known for?

Newton is best known as a scientist. English mathematician and natural philosopher who formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation and revolutionized optics and calculus.

When did Isaac Newton live?

Newton lived 1642-1727 CE, born in 1642 and died in 1727, during the early modern period.

Can I chat with an AI version of Isaac Newton?

Yes, free. Anyone can ask Newton, and a first question needs no account. Every answer is a Simulation in character, grounded in Newton’s real life, work and era. A good first question is: "How do I think through a complex problem systematically?"

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What Newton is best at.

  • Mechanics & Modeling: Framing systems with clear laws and quantities
  • Experimental Design: Creating decisive tests of hypotheses

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