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English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of important wars that greatly affected England. Royalists and Puritans battled for seven years straight over economic, political, and religious issues. -
Birthday
Isaac Newton was born at Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham, Lincolnshire on Christmas day in 1642. He was not expected to live due to being born prematurely, but made an amazing recovery and survived. Woolsthorpe Manor became part of the National Trust in 1943. Today, it is fully restored and renovated. -
Maryland Toleration Act
The Maryland Toleration Act was a law passed in 1649 by the colonial assembly off Maryland. The act mandated religious toleration of all Christians to try to prevent any further conflict between Christians and Protestants. -
Oliver Cromwell
In 1649, Cromwell dominated the Commonwealth of England, Ireland and Scotland. In 1653 Oliver Cromwell became the Lord Protector of England. and ruled until his death in 1658. -
Grammar School
In 1655, thirteen year old Isaac left to attend grammar school in Grantham. There he became fascinated by chemicals which sparked his curiousity and love for learning. His mother insisted that when he turned seventeen he was to work on a farm, only he made a terrible farmer. What Isaac wanted was to learn. -
College
In 1661, Newton enters Trinity College, Cambridge. His beginning intention was to become a minister, but his focuse soon enough was changed. This college was the beginning of the serious schooling that led to his discoveries. After four years, he was presented the honor of being a scholar, which paid for four years of his tuition. Unfortunately, this was during the time of the plague that sprend throughout England, and the university was forced to close. -
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The Great Plague
The Great Plague of London was an outbreak of bubonic plague that hit London and was extremely violent during the hot months of August and September in 1665. There were about 70,000 deaths recorded by the end of the plague. -
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London in 1666 began in a small bakery on Pudding Lane. It quickly spread because houses back in the 1600s were generally made of flammable wood. The fire ended up only killing about 16 people, but destroyed around 430 acres, which is about 80% of the city. Churches homes, and Guild Halls were perished. Most people became homeless and poor. However, the flames of the fire helped contribute to the stopping of the plague. -
Royal Society
In 1672, at the age of thirty, Newton was made a member of the Royal Society. While in London, he attended his first Royal Society meeting and was admitted as a member. In this group of scientists he was able to present his findings on light and his new telescope. Newton also recieved criticism from Robert Hooke and proved to be very sensitive when being told he was wrong. In 1703 he was elected president of the Royal Society and served until his death. -
"Principia"
Newton published the first edition of "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" in 1687, which began to change the way the world thought about things. He published this while he was a mathematics professor at Trinity College. "Principia" was all about Newtons' three laws, which included inertia, how forces act on an object, and most importantly his theory of gravity. The book began a lot of controversy among active scientists. -
Quakers
In 1688, Quakers conducted the first formal protest of slavery in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Francis Daniel Pastorius created a petition on behalf of a religious body in the English colonies. This protest and petition is looked back upon as one of the first recorded acts of human rights. -
Parliament
In 1689 Newton became a member of Parliament. He held this position from 1689-1690, and years later did the same from 1701-1702. He was respected and had the intelligence to get this position, not only once but twice. -
Nervous Breakdown
In 1693 Newton suffers from a nervous breakdown. His health was failing. The nervous breakdown was due to an increase in stress and problems with his research. Long hours of working and constantly trying to find answers to questions put a lot of pressure on fifty-one year old Newton. He eventually recovered and began to study the Bible again. -
Warden of the Mint
In 1696 Newton moved to London as Warden of the Mint. He was appointed to this position by the goverment. Newton supervised the replacement of England’s old and damaged coins, and even helped break up a counterfeiting ring. In 1699 he was appointed Master of the Mint, and held this position until his death. -
"Opticks"
In 1704, Newton published another book called "Opticks". He used this publication to make his experiments about the composition of light public. "Opticks" was a scientific book that revolved around light and color. -
Death
Sir Isaac Newton died at the age of eighty-four in his sleep. His body was said to have contained unusually high amounts of mercury, which most likely was a causing factor of his death. Newton was buried in Westminster Abbey, England. He is now considered one of the greatest scientists of all time.
