Sir Issac Newton Biography

Sir Isaac Newton was a renowned English physicist and mathematician, who was considered by many as one of the most influential scientist in history. Owing to his numerous discoveries, Newton is quite often referred to as the Father of Modern Science. Some of his prominent accomplishments include defining the laws of gravity and planetary motion and explaining the laws of light and color.

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

Newton was born on January 4, 1643, in Woolsthorpe - a hamlet in Lincolnshire county in England. Some sources also refer to Newton's date of birth as December 25, 1642, which is mainly due to the confusion prevailing between the Old Style and New Style dates. However, there is a consensus among the historians that he was actually born on January 4, 1643.

Early Childhood and Schooling

Newton's father died three months before he was born. When Newton was 3 years old, his mother remarried, and left him with his grandmother who eventually raised him up. At the age of 12, he was sent to the King's School in Grantham. While schooling, he lived with an apothecary name Clarke. During his stay here, Newton showed keen interest in Clarke's laboratory. He quite often built some or the other mechanical devices, such as floating lanterns or sundials, in a bid to impress people around him.

Education and Fundamental Thinking

In 1661, at the age of 19, Newton joined the Trinity College in Cambridge University. Here he showed keen interest in various subjects, especially in mathematics, physics, astronomy and optics. He went on to complete his Bachelor's degree by 1665, and decided to stay back at Cambridge and complete his Masters. However an epidemic outbreak in the same year forced the University to shut, thus leaving Newton with no other option but to return to Woolsthorpe. He spent around 2 years at home, during which he emphasized on some of the basic experiments. It was during this period that Newton initiated fundamental thinking for his various works pertaining to gravitation and optics.

Return to Cambridge

In 1667, Newton returned to Cambridge University and became a fellow of the Trinity College. At the same time, he decided to elaborate his work which he had begun in Woolsthorpe. In 1669, at the age of 27, he was appointed the second Lucasian professor of mathematics at the Trinity College. He continued on this post for the next 27 years of his life. In the meanwhile, the reflecting telescope made by Newton in 1668 became quite popular and earned him fame in the scientific community. He received wide appreciation for this invention. Subsequently, he was made a fellow of the Royal Society, an honorary society through which the British government supported science, in 1672.

Isaac Newton's Accomplishments

By the age of 30, Newton had earned a great repute in the field of science, but that didn't mean he didn't venture into other fields. He was also well versed with various other subjects, including theology and astronomy. Through his series of experiments about the composition of light, he discovered that the white light is made up of same colors which are found in the rainbow and established the modern study of optics. With some help from the astronomer Edmond Halley, of Halley's Comet fame, Newton produced the 'Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica' Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, in 1687. This was followed by publishing of his yet another acclaimed work related to the behavior of light and color - The Opticks, in 1704.

Prominent Positions Held by Isaac Newton

In his life spanning over 84 years, Newton made it to some of the most prestigious posts in various organizations. He was elected as the member of parliament for Cambridge University, a post he held for two terms - first in 1689-90 and then in 1701-02. He was appointed the warden of the Royal Mint, the organization in charge of manufacturing coins in the United Kingdom, in 1696. He was also elected the president of the Royal Society in 1703, a position he held until his death. In 1705, he was conferred the knighthood, and thus he became Sir Isaac Newton. He became one of the most dominant figure of the European scientific community in the first quarter of the 18th century.

He died on March 31, 1727, and was cremated in Westminster Abbey. Newton is often remembered for the incident wherein an apple fell on his head and inspired him to think about the laws of gravity. Although apple hitting his head was not quite true, his assistant, John Conduitt later confirmed that it was indeed witnessing a falling apple in his garden that inspired Newton to think about gravity.