The Greatest And The Luckiest Of Mortals

sgant writes "So says the 18th-century French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange about Sir Isaac Newton. The New York Times has a piece on 'The Newtonian Moment: Science and the Making of Modern Culture' which is a new exhibit at the NY Public Library. It includes a number of Newton's manuscripts from the Cambridge University Library, including a first edition of his most famous work, "Principia," bearing the author's corrections and additions for the next printing, have never before been shown in the United States."

Comments

Re:'Greatest and Luckiest of Mortals' indeed

[ggvaidya]

That was Leibnitz, you insensitive clod!

(and thus, the science's oldest flame war is brought into the 21st century!)

luckiest?

[flyingsquid]

It's said that he died a virgin... so in at least one respect Newton was not, and did not get, "lucky".

shoulders of giants

[Clueless Moron]

Or, as is the case for me and most others, "if I have failed to see further, it is because giants are standing on my shoulders".

Re:I may not know much about physics,

[flossie]

weren't Newton's ideas debunked by Einstein's theory of relativity?

As an engineer, I frequently use Newton's laws of motion. I can't say that I have ever had the need to consider bodies travelling at a significant fraction of the speed of light in my work.

Re:'Greatest and Luckiest of Mortals' indeed

[jalet]

> Pretty amazing.

Not at all ! /. didn't existed at that time, so he didn't waste his time like you and I do :-)