25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726 Pic Source
Isaac Newton invented calculus and formulated the theory of universal gravity. His work in the fields of mathematics and physics revolutionized science and allowed astronomers to understand the motions of heavenly bodies and the forces that interact between them.
CONTEMPORARY EVENTS
The Great Plague of London occurred in 1665 while Newton was attending Cambridge. It was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in the Kingdom of England.
The Acts of Union in 1707 united England and Scotland into one kingdom. Parliaments of both nations passed separate acts. The Acts joined England and Scotland into one nation, named “Great Britain”.
CONTEMPORARY PERSON
Gottfried Wilhem Leibniz was a German mathematician who shares with Newton the credit for the development of integrated differential calculus. The two developed different methods of integration independently, however, after some dispute Leibniz’s notation was adopted.
REVIEW
Learning of the context that surrounded Newton’s life and work really helped me to better understand how quickly events occur and how interrelated they all are. This is especially true with the work of Brahe, Galileo and Kepler. These three each made progress that would aid the other two and be used together to further the scientific community as a whole as well as set the stage for the work of Newton. Without every event occurring as it did, including the Great Plague, who knows what our world would be like today?
heaVens aboVe 