Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1642, December 25, three months after his father's passing. He was so tiny when he was born that doctors were very pessimistic. However, he survived and, thankfully, the world was not deprived of his genius. He had a hard childhood. When he was three years old, his mother married a minister who sent Isaac to live with his grandmother. For nine years he was unable to see his mother, causing the young lad psychotic tendencies. During these years, however, Isaac found comfort in books and knowledge.

He started studying at the Trinity College in Cambridge in 1661. He leaved Cambridge due to the plague in 1665. He came back in 1667 to resume his career. He became such a good student that his own professor ended up asking Isaac's advice. Newton was not only a good reader, but also dedicated himself to experimentation and observation. That was how he elaborated his theory of optics, that enabled him to invent a telescope in 1668, the best of the era: more powerful and ten times smaller than the rest. He was named Maths professor by Cambridge in 1669.

In 1687, his most famous work, The Principia, was published, which raised Newton to international prominence. In his work, he summarised his investigations on the forces of gravity. It is now said that this book is probably one of the most important pieces in the history of science. During these years, many discoveries on physics, astronomy, chemistry... were carried out. That is why we call this period the Scientific Revolution, and one of its main authors was Sir Isaac Newton. Newton became the president of the Royal Society in 1703. In 1704, he published his Opticks.

Sir Isaac Newton died in Kensington, England, in 1727.

 

Thanks to Jorge Juan and his family for this interesting information.

 

Michael Faraday

Michael Faraday was born in Newington, Surrey, England, on September 22, 1791. His family was extremely poor, so he could not go to school. Instead, he became apprenticed to a bookbinder when he was 14. The good part was that Faraday was surrounded by books, so he was able to read a lot. In 1812, he met scientist Sir Humphry Davy, who offered him a job in his laboratory as his assistant.

In 1821, Michael Faraday married Sarah Barnard. At the same time, he made his first successful experiment: electromagnetic rotation, a very rudimentary engine.

Working then at the Royal Institution under the guidance of Davy, in 1825, Faraday discovered the hydrocarbon benzene and became the father of an entire branch of organic chemistry. As he never had forgotten his poor childhood, he started some conferences about science for young people without means. These conferences are still celebrated during Christmas.

Finally, in 1831, his most famous achievement came to reality: electromagnetic induction. This meant that when he moved a magnet through a coil of wire, a current was produced. Thanks to this discovery, the electric generator was developed, the origin of all modern electric power plants. Faraday was awarded by the Oxford University in 1832. His laws of electrolysis, formulated in 1833, linked chemistry and electricity. 

Other discoveries include, for instance, the Faraday cage or shield, consisting of an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields. He also studied the relation between light and magnetic fields, known as the Faraday effect or rotation.

Michael Faraday died at Hampton Court, Surrey, on August 25, 1867.

 

Thanks to Jorge Juan and his family for this interesting information.

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England, on February 7, 1812. His mother taught him to read and to enjoy the pleasure of reading. At the age of 8, he wrote his first work. His dad was a spendthrift and usually lost all his money, so his family had to suffer from it. In 1824, at the age of 12, due to financial disaster, Charles had to leave school and was forced to start working in a factory while his father was sent to prison. These facts will be later captured in his works ‘David Copperfield’ and ‘Little Dorrit’. Living during the Industrial Revolution was very hard for little Charles. He noticed all the evils of hard-working and low wages, as people moved from the country to towns to get lower-paid jobs. Most of his work relates that awful period when he realised the miserable circumstances and terrible conditions people had to undergo, especially poor children. Orphans were always present in his books.

After his family recovered, Dickens finished school and became a clerk in a solicitor’s office when he was fifteen years old. In 1833, he started writing for several newspapers under the pseudonym of Boz. In 1836, he serialised ‘The Pickwick papers’. It was an immediate success. Dickens became so popular that he left the newspaper and started to edit a magazine, where he also serialised ‘Oliver Twist’. This technique was very interesting, as people could buy sketches or instalments weekly or monthly if they lacked the means to do it as a book. Dickens was quite aware of the hardships of London society, so he did his most to get reading closer to the lower classes. He even travelled the country and went to the States to read his works for those who could not afford them. ‘Oliver Twist’ was especially acknowledged because of its magnificent depiction of poor orphans who had to steal to eat and were sometimes abused in the big city. Dickens achieved something almost impossible: he made all these sad, forgotten and poor characters become visible to the world. Charles continued writing until his last days.

Other remarkable works are ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘David Copperfield’. ‘A tale of two cities’, ‘Great expectations’, and ‘Our mutual friend’. He also wrote poetry, essays, plays and short stories.

Charles Dickens died on June 9, 1870.

 

Thanks to Jorge Juan and his family for this interesting information.

Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shropshire, England, on February 12, 1809. As a child, he was extremely interested in nature and in collecting things. His family encouraged him. In 1825, his father sent him to Edinburgh to study medicine. Charles didn’t want to disappoint his father as he and his grandad were also doctors. However, in 1828 he left Edinburgh to study botany (biology) in Cambridge. There, he met Reverend John Stevens Henslow who encouraged him to pursuit his curiosity. He also recommended him to embark on a five-year expedition on the H.M.S. Beagle in 1831. Captain Robert Fitzroy was to cartograph South America for the Empire, but as a naturalist, Charles wanted to explore and find out about the flora and fauna abroad. In 1835, they reached the Galapagos Islands, crawling with marine iguanas and giant tortoises. There, Darwin collected fossils, draw pictures and gathered information. At that moment, he didn’t realise what he had already discovered. It would be back in London in 1836 with his friend John Gould where he would reach the conclusion that species adapted to the environment. In 1859, he published his work ‘On the origin of species’, where he explained his discoveries about natural selection: the survival of the fittest. In 1864, he was awarded the Copley Medal. Even though he was criticised by his anti-clerical views, Darwin continued to investigate. He wondered if humans evolved and adapted themselves as other animals. Though controversial, this topic was developed in his book ‘The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex’. From that moment on, the relations between science and religion were quite confrontational. Because of his theories, Darwin was insulted and abused the rest of his life. He died in Kent on April 19, 1882.

 

Thanks to Jorge Juan and his family for sharing this interesting information.