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Birth
Isaac Newton was born on Christmas day in 1642 in Woolsthorpe, England. Newton was born prematurely and underdeveloped. He was very weak and couldn't even hold up his own head. This event is significant to Newton's life because this baby, who got off to such a rough start, grew up to have one of the best minds in history. (Bixby 4+5) -
End of Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War ended in 1648. It was a religious conflict fought primarily in central Europe. It was one of the longest and most brutal wars in history with more than 8 million casualties. This event is significant because in the end, the conflict changed the geopolitical face of Europe and the role of religion and nation-states in society. -
Left Grantham
Isaac Newton left Grantham in 1656, which was where Woolsthorpe farm was. He decided to go back home and manage the family farm. He did not study much and it seemed that he was going to farm for a living. This event is significant to Newton's life because he thought that he would end up as a farmer but only to be one of the best scientists in history. (Bixby 7) -
Death of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell died on Friday, September 3rd, 1658. He died of natural causes and was buried in Westminister Abbey. He was an English military and political leader. His rule was significant to history because he executed an aggressive and effective political policy. (history.com) -
Entering Cambridge University
Isaac Newton entered Cambridge University in 1661. At Cambridge, he was among wealthy men who just wanted to have fun. He was very quiet and kind of socially awkward. Newton did not like being away from home. He did not like to go to parties. Newton got very homesick. This event is significant because Cambridge was the place where he had a proper education and to develop his mind to be able to even think of the theories he had. (Bixby 8) -
London Plague
In 1665, a plague struck at Cambridge University killing over 30,000 people. It even shut down Cambridge for the protection of the students. The students were allowed to go home. During most of Newton's time at home, he dreamed beneath the apple trees and wondered about the orbit of the planets. Newton disocvered many new things about the planets. This event is significant because Newton may have not discovered these things if he hadn't been sent home. (Bixby 11) -
A Member of the Royal Society
In 1672, Newton was invited to become a memebr of the royal society. Newton shared his ideas about light and color. He wrote down and explained all of his theories in a letter that was read at one of the meetings. Everyone was impressed. The society even decided to publish the letter. This event is significant becasue it helped him get realized and known by other scientists and it also gave him opprotunities to express his theories. (Anderson 51+52) -
Discovery of the Moon's Orbit Around the Earth
Newton sent Robert Hooke a letter with an experiement and a sketch. Hooke recieved the letter and noticed an error in the sketch. Hooke replied and pointed out the error. Hooke's letter reminded Newton of his earlier calculations. Newton redid his calculations and realized he could now explain the moon's orbit around the earth. This event is significant because Newton would have never gotten the right calculations on the orbit of the moon if Hooke didn't notice his error. (Anderson 60) -
Discovering Newton's Theory on the Moon's Orbit
In 1684, Edmund Halley finally found out about Newton's discovery on the moon's orbit. After Newton discovered this, he just hid his calculations in his desk drawer. But now that Halley had the answers to the question "why planets travel around the sun in an ellipse," Newton's discovery was now in good hands. This event is significant because if Edmund Halley hadn't made that trip to Cambridge, Newton's results may have never been found. (Anderson 68) -
Publishing "The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"
In 1684, Newton began to prepare a paper for the society. In the paper, he organized all of his new studies on motion. He kept working on the paper and it kept growing. It eventually became "The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy." It consisted of 3 volumes and was written in Latin. It was published in 1687. This event was significant because it established Newton as one of the immortals of science. (Bixby 19) -
A Member of Parliament
In 1689, Newton was elected to represent the University. The one year he was a member of Parliament, was a very important year. He took part in the vote that proclaimed William and Mary to be king and queen of of England and also voted on the Bill of Rights. These two things were very important to history and this event is significant because Newton helped by voting in this very important period of time. (Anderson 72) -
War of the Spanish Succession
The war of the Spanish Succession was a European conflict of the eraly 18th century. It was also known as Queen Anne's War. The war was concluded with the treaties of Urecht. The Austrians also gained most of the Spanish territories in Italy and the Netherlands. This event was significant because the war brought an end to a long period of major conflict in Western Europe. (History.com) -
Death
On the morning of March 20, 1727, Sir Isaac Newton died at the age of 84. He slipped into a coma, remaining unconscious until he died between one and two in the morning. This event is significant to Newton's life because after death he still went on to be one of the greatest scientists of all time. (Christianson 144) -
First Encyclopedia Published
The first encyclopedia was published in 1751. It was published by Francois Marie-Arouet, also known as Voltaire. Voltaire was a French Philosopher and writer of the age of enlightenment. He was one of France's greatest writers and he published the Encyclopedia. This event is significant because encyclopedias made life easier for a lot of the people because encyclopedias contain articles on topics of every field. (History.com) -
The Lightning Rod
The lightning rod was invented in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin. The lightning rod is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. The invention of the lightning rod was significant to history because the lightning rods provide a low-resistance path to ground that can be used to conduct the enormous electrical currents when lightning strikes occur. (History.com) -
Industrial Revolution Begins
The Industrial Revolution began in 1760. It was a period of major industrialzation that began in Great Britain and quickly spread throughout the world. This event is significant because even though the Industrial Revolution occured about 200 years ago, it still has left a huge impact on how people lived and how people are living now. (investopedia.com)
