Isaac Newton, possibly one of the greatest scientific geniuses of all time, led a long and important life. Newton was an English scientist, astronomer, and mathematician who made significant contributions in many fields of scientific and mathematical reasoning. Newton also made important contributions to physics and astronomy. Throughout his life, Newton discovered and published many of his theories, inventions, and ideas. He devised three major laws of motion, along with the theory of gravitation, which explains how the universe is held together. He also uncovered the mystery and secrets of light and color. In the mathematical field, Newton made a significant contribution; he invented calculus. Newton's discoveries of the universe, light and color, and calculus were all made within 18 months of each other, spanning from 1665 to 1667. Newton is sometimes described as "one of the greatest names in the history of human thought" (Jacob 388).
             Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642, in the manor house of Woolsthorpe, which is located near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. Isaac Newton was born a premature infant, about an hour or two after midnight at the time of a full moon and was not expected to live. He came from a family of modest yeoman farmers (Schuster 173). His father (of the same name) had died just three months before. His mother, Hannah Ayscough Newton, remarried when he was three, and left him with his grandmother until her second husband died, in 1653, when Newton was 11. He was educated at King's School, Grantham. As a boy, he was more interested in making mechanical devices than in studying. Some of "young Newton's" inventions included a small windmill that could grind wheat and corn, a water clock run by the force of dropping water, and a sundial. He left school at the age of 14 to help his widowed mother with the family farm (Jacob 390). It was assumed he would continue i...