HEROES OFSPACE
ISAAC NEWTON
The pioneering physicist that got to grips with gravity and set the world in motion
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
A painting of Sir Isaac Newton analysing the ray of light
On Christmas day 1642, Hannah Ayscough and Isaac Newton Sr welcomed their new child into the world. Little did they know at the time that he would grow up to be both a pioneering scientist and the greatest mathematician of his generation. Unfortunately, only three months after his birth, Newton’s father, a wealthy farmer, passed away. His mother remarried, at which point Newton was left in the care of his grandmother.
As a child, Newton attended a free grammar school in Grantham, Lincolnshire. However, his school reports were far from complimentary of Newton’s academic abilities, describing him as ‘idle’ and ‘inattentive’. Nevertheless, Newton persisted with his education, and in 1661 enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge, intending to complete a law degree. However, after thumbing through the pages of an astrology book in 1663, Newton’s academic journey was changed, and he headed straight for mathematics. In 1665, Newton completed his degree, specialising in mathematics and philosophy.