332: Sir Isaac Newton, Heretic, Alchemist, Genius

P&C drink and review That Shiz Slaps by Aslin Beer Company, then discuss the amazing life and career of Sir Isaac Newton. After barely surviving childbirth, and being abandoned by his mother when he was three, Newton avoided his parent's advice to become a farmer and went on to be a student at Trinity College. He was a quiet and introverted student who spent all his time in his studies and work. Newton went home to avoid the plague. That's when the famous story of the apple occurred. The prevailing thought of the day was that heavenly motions and earthly motions were governed by different rules. Newton realized that exactly the same force that caused the apple to fall caused the moon to stay in orbit around the Earth. To work on his theories he invented Calculus! But Newton was not only a genius at math and physics. He was also a theologian, an alchemist, and made great strides in the field of optics. In order to maintain his position in English society, he had to hide his heretical theological views, and it's only recently that people are diving into his strange alchemical theories. Toward the end of his life he supervised the Royal Mint, and was knighted by Queen Anne.