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 "If I have been able to see further, it
was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants."
Possibly the greatest Englishman, Sir Isaac Newton
was an English physicist and mathematician who was born into a poor farming family. Newton was not a good farmer, and was sent to Cambridge
to study to become a preacher. At Cambridge, Newton studied mathematics, being especially strongly influenced by Euclid. Newton was forced
to leave Cambridge when it was closed because of the plague, and it was during this period that he made some of his most significant
discoveries. Newton is clearly the most influential scientist who ever lived. His accomplishments in mathematics, optics, and physics laid
the foundations for modern science and revolutionized the world.
Newton invented integral calculus. He also calculated a formula for
finding the velocity of sound in a gas. Newton made an enormous impact on theoretical astronomy. He defined the laws of motion and
universal gravitation which he used to predict the motions of stars, and the planets around the sun. Using his discoveries in optics
Newton constructed the first reflecting telescope. Newton published his works in two books, "Opticks" and "Principia."
Newton died in London on March 20, 1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Back to Famous Englishmen and Women.
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