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Article: The Scientific Revolution Reshapes the World: Sir Isaac Newton.(biographical details of the English scientist-mathematician)
- Article from:
- The World and I
- Article date:
- April 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Isaac Newton--generally considered one of the most brilliant figures of history--was born in Woolsthorpe, England, on Christmas Day, 1642. His birth took place under difficult circumstances: He was a premature baby whose survival was at considerable risk, and his father had died the preceding October. After an undistinguished youth, including a brief stint managing the family farm, he entered Cambridge University in 1661. At Cambridge he came under the influence of a distinguished cleric and mathematician, Isaac Barrow, who seems to have recognized Newton's extraordinary abilities and stimulated his interest in mathematics.
According to an autobiographical sketch ...