Sir Isaac Newton PRS MP (25 December 1642 - 20 March 1726) was an English physicist and mathematician (described in his own day as a 'natural philosopher') who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution.

His book Philosophi?Naturalis Principia Mathematica ('Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy'); first published in 1687; laid the foundations for classical mechanics. Newton made seminal contributions to optics; and he shares credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of calculus. Pictures From History