Isaac Newton

ar school and that of his uncle, William Ayscough, led to his eventual admission to his uncle's college. In his first semester Newton happened to discover a book on astrology, but couldn't understand it very well on account of the geometry and trigonometry. He was knighted (1708) by Queen Anne, the first scientist to be so honored for his work. (Arnheim, 1993) As a boy in Grantham, Newton had been intolerable to his servants and found it difficult to get along with his fellow grammar school peers. He therefore bought a book by Euclid, and learned very quickly how obvious the propositions seemed. As a result of the Plague, from 1665 threw 1666 Newton had spent a great deal of time at home. He thought out the fundamental principles of his theory of gravitation as well as many other important contributions to the world of science and math. Later he read and mastered Oughtred's Clavis, and Descartes' Geometry, which led him to take up mathematics rather than chemistry as a serious study. With the publication of the Principia, Newton was recognized as the leading natural philosopher of the age, but his creative career was effectively over. In 1703 he was elected president of the Royal Society and was reelected each year until his death. Newton began attending Trinity College at Cambridge, as a student on June 5, 1661. In 1696 he became Warden of the Royal Mint and in 1699 its Master, an extremely lucrative position. During this time it seems evident that a great deal of his best work was accomplished.