Random Details About The Surprisingly Sad, Strange Life of Sir Isaac Newton (13 items)

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  (#9) Newton Was Incredibly Secretive And Had A Horrible Temper

  Isaac Newton is best known for his work in the fields of mathematics and science, but he was also incredibly interested in alchemy and religion. Most of the notes he kept on these additional subjects were not known until his papers were sorted through after his death in 1727.  

  Newton spent a lot of his time in isolation and was hesitant to share his work. Also playing a part in his self-imposed isolation was his hot temper, which was only exacerbated by the attitude of his critics. Some of these feelings may have been an extension of the loneliness he experienced as a child; however, Newton was able to make some of his greatest discoveries while hiding from the world.
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  (#3) Newton Never Married And May Have Died A Virgin

  Newton never seemed all that interested in women and never married. There is no evidence of him ever having been in a relationship of any kind, which has prompted some people to suggest that Newton remained a virgin throughout his life. His bad temper and aversion to people may have also played a part.  

  On the other hard, though, it's has also been suggested that Newton took some sort of vow of celibacy early on, to which he remained loyal until his death at the age of 84.
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  (#11) Newton May Or May Not Have Done The Whole Apple Thing - But He Liked To Talk About It

  Isaac Newton liked to talk about the story of the apple falling on his head, but his account of it changed often. According to the account written by William Stuckney, the two men were sitting under a tree one evening at Woolsthorpe in 1666 when Newton told him about his thoughts on gravitation. Newton said that he had seen an apple fall and it made him consider the direction, the speed, and other aspects of apple's movement. The more often Newton told the story, the more elaborate it became, eventually resulting in the anecdote of the apple hitting him on the head.
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  (#8) Newton Was A Cambridge Professor, But Not A Very Good One

  After earning his master's degree in 1668, Newton became the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge at the age of 27. He took over the position for his former professor, Isaac Barrow, who had recommended him for the job. As a professor, Newton was still able to carry out his research, but his courses were not well attended, which may have been a reflection of Newton's greater interest in his own work rather than in his students.
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  (#2) Newton Was Accused Of Plagiarism And Almost Quit Science

  Newton began publishing his research on light, color, and motion, with his first presentation being at the Royal Society of London in 1672. His ideas about light contradicted those of noted scientist and head of the Royal Society, Robert Hooke, earning Newton immediate criticism. Newton argued that light was made up of particles while Hooke believed it was a wave - and because Hooke had more academic clout at the time, a bitter rivalry developed. Hooke went so far as to convince fellow scientists that Newton was wrong.

  Then, in 1675, Newton published another paper that drew even greater criticism; however, this time he was being accused of plagiarizing Hooke's ideas about the relationship between planets and the sun. Hooke, for his part, did have his own ideas about gravitation and the way that planets were attracted to the sun, but he never articulated a theory. The claims of plagiarism were unfounded, but it was still enough to drive Newton into a fit of rage in which he vowed to quit the Royal Society and never publish again.
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  (#1) Newton Had At Least Two Mental Breakdowns And May Have Been Bipolar

  Newton had a substantial mental breakdown in 1678, in large part due to the immense stress brought on by the controversies surrounding his work. His mother died the following year, at which point he became even more isolated and dove deeper into his research. In 1693, he experienced yet another breakdown very similar to the one he experienced years earlier. Newton was embarrassed by his battle with mental health - a lifelong struggle by all accounts - which may have been due to depression or a form of bipolar disorder.

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