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- Sir Isaac Newton, 1642~1727 -
Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most influential men in history.
Born on Christmas Day, 1642, at Woolsthorpe Manor, Colsterworth, near Grantham, he was described as a British scientific genius.
However, it seems his early life was rather more artistic than scientific and built a sun-dial for Colsterworth Church at the age of nine.
Educated at King's School, Grantham, he later became head boy before moving on to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he showed his ability in problem solving.
As the well-known story goes, his theory of gravity came while sitting in the orchard of Colsterworth Manor when he saw an apple falling from a tree.
Whether it actually fell on his head is anyone's guess, but certainly this provided him with the key to the secrets of the laws of gravity and the chance to offer his theories to a then largely sceptical world.
In 1687 Principia Mathematica, the famous book outlining the theory of gravity, was published.
Sir Isaac Newton was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705, and died 22 years later at the age of 84. He was buried with great ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
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