William Stukeley

Remember the old story of Newton and the apple? Ever wonder where it came from? Now you can read the original, in William Stukeley’s Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton’s Life (1752). The Royal Society, the “world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence,” had made this manuscript (and others) available as part of their Turning the Pages project.

In Newton’s Life, Stukeley recounts one of the most famous stories in modern science:

After dinner, the weather being warm, we went into the garden and drank tea under the shade of some apple trees; only he and myself. Amidst other discourse, he told me, he was just in the same situation, as when formerly, the notion of gravitation came into his mind. Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground, thought he to himself; occasioned by the fall of an apple, as he sat in a contemplative mood. Why should it not go sideways, or upwards? But constantly to the earth’s center? Assuredly, the reason is, that the earth draws it. There must be a drawing power in matter. The sum of the drawing power in the matter of the earth must be in the earth’s center, not in any side of the earth. Therefore does this apple fall perpendicularly or toward the center. If matter thus draws matter; it must be in proportion of its quantity. Therefore the apple draws the earth, as well as the earth draws the apple.
Thus by degrees, he began to apply this property of gravitation to the motion of the Earth, and of the heavenly bodies; to consider their distances, their magnitudes, their periodical revolutions: to find out, that this property, conjointly with a progressive motion impressed on them in the beginning, perfectly [soloed] their circular courses; kept the planets from falling upon one another, or dropping all together into one center. And thus he unfolded the universe. This was the birth of those amazing discoveries, whereby he built philosophy on a solid foundation, to the astonishment of Europe (page 16, 42 in the online version).

Sir Isaac Newton

Rather than being conked on the head by an apple while napping, Newton had been thinking in his garden, maybe while drinking tea. Granted, this work was originally published 25 years after Newton’s death, but Stukeley was a friend of Newton, and a fellow member of the Royal Society.

I have waited for this life to be done, as it deserves; and have not been overhasty in printing, what was wrote 27 years ago (page ii, 4 in the online version).

He began recording his memories of Newton before Newton’s death, and now they are available, in their original 18th century manuscript, for anyone with an Internet connection to read.  How fantastic to be able to read the actual account of this most famous story for yourself.

–

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.