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1. Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 25-Dec-2022 19:27:50 UTC Robert McNees

   By the old Julian calendar, Isaac Newton was born #OTD in 1642. (According to the modern Gregorian calendar, the date would be January 4, 1643.)

   I’d write a longer thread, but very little is known about this obscure natural philosopher. Please add any info you might have in the replies. Wrong answers only.

   Portrait: Godfrey Kneller

   • Alan Sill (alansill@mast.hpc.social)'s status on Sunday, 25-Dec-2022 19:43:36 UTC Alan Sill

     in reply to

     @mcnees A little-known fact is that Isaac Newton was a friend of the Mastodons (Joan and John), who took him in when the dormitories were closed over the holidays and gave him his first mathematics books from their extensive collection to give him something to do until the college opened again.

   • Robert Norlyn :coffefied: (robertnorlyn@mstdn.social)'s status on Sunday, 25-Dec-2022 19:43:39 UTC Robert Norlyn :coffefied:

     in reply to

     @mcnees While a mysterious person he was known widely for his vast collection of botanical specimens stored in canopic jars. His contributions revolutionized the field of biology based on the samples from those jars after being studied by Gottfried Leibniz under a microscope. #KnewTonne

   • Kansas Grant (kansasgrant@techhub.social)'s status on Sunday, 25-Dec-2022 19:43:40 UTC Kansas Grant

     in reply to

     @mcnees While sitting under a tree one day, one of its fruits dropped upon Isaac Newton's head, launching a revolutionary idea which would come to be known as the "Fig Newton."