I reminded myself of the story about Isaac Newton several times as I sat in quarantine last year . At twenty-two years old , young Isaac was sent home from Cambridge University during the Great Plague of London in 1665 . It was their own version of “ social distancing .”
And that ’ s when the magic happened .
Without his teachers to guide him , Newton flourished . The period he spent away was later referred to as his annus mirabilis , the “ year of wonders .”
First , he continued working on math problems that he ’ d begun at Cambridge University . Believe it or not , the papers he wrote became the genesis of calculus .
Second , he acquired some prisms and began experimenting with them in his room , even boring a hole in his shutters so only a small beam of light could shine through . From his explorations emerged his theories on optics .
Third , outside his window was an apple tree . Yes , the apple tree we ’ ve all heard about . While parts of the narrative are legend , his assistant confirmed much of it is true . While Newton sat under that tree , an apple fell , which launched his thinking . From this apple , Newton developed his theory of the law of gravity and the laws of motion .
Back in London , a fourth of the population would die of the plague during 1665 – 1666 . It was one of many outbreaks during the four hundred years that the Black Death pandemic ravaged Europe .
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