July 5th, 1687, London, The Kingdom of England – The last of 305 pages is pressed in the first run of a new book sanctioned by The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge.
Written entirely in Latin and prefaced with 48 lines of poetry in dactylic hexameter, the book was two years in the making and underwent careful consultation and scrutiny before the printing plates were primed. Revised in 1713 and again in 1726, the title of the book was Philosophiç Naturalis Principia Mathematica. The author was one Isaac Newton.
Outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation, the formulation of his physical theories also developed and used mathematical methods now included in the field of calculus. Although not all of its content was readily accepted at the time, a century later the Principia was heralded as "one of the most important works in the history of science" and the bedrock that underpinned much of the technological and scientific advancement of the Industrial Revolution.
I’m guessing I don’t need to explain just how important the Industrial Revolution was in providing the demand for the industry that we all work in today….
P.S. Newton is said to have theorised gravity after getting bonked on the head by a falling apple. But is that fact or fiction?
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LEARN MORE:
- Oil & Gas Industry: An Introduction
- Oil and Gas Production - An Introduction
- Oil and Gas Technology: The Future Is Now
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