Isaac Newton

The mathematician and natural philosopher who wrote the Principia, co-invented the calculus, and spent decades on alchemy and biblical prophecy — documented carefully, myths labeled as myths.

Start here

• New to Newton? Read start here for the thirty-second version and a map of the site.
• The life: biography tells the story from Woolsthorpe to Westminster Abbey; timeline gives it date by date.
• The work: works covers the Principia, the Opticks, the calculus, and the alchemy and theology he took just as seriously.
• His own words: sayings collects only quotations we can actually source — and names the famous ones he never said.
• The circle: people — Halley, Hooke, Leibniz, Barrow, and the rest.
• The afterlife: reception separates the mythology from the scholarship.

Why this site exists

Newton is simultaneously the most famous scientist in history and one of the most misunderstood. The popular image — the lone genius, the apple, the purely rational mind — edits out most of what he actually did: the decades of alchemical experiment, the heretical theology, the bitter priority feuds, the coin-counterfeiters he sent to the gallows. This site puts the documented record first and labels everything else.

A note on the stream

This site is paired with a YouTube character stream — an animated dramatization of Newton, clearly labeled as such. The stream is not connected yet; see the stream page for the concept and the honest-labeling rules.

Source notes

• Scope and tone: this site’s editorial policy; see methodology (2026-09-26).
• For the archives and scholarship behind these pages, see sources.