He was the greatest scientist of his day, perhaps of all time. But while Isaac Newton was busy discovering the universal law of gravitation, he was also searching out hidden meanings in the Bible and pursuing the covert art of alchemy. (NOVA)
A passionate alchemist who predicted 2060 as the year when the book of Revelation comes to life, Newton was more than a scientist who got hit on the head with apple and composed the theory of gravity. That well-rounded Newton is the subject of a NOVA special that will air for the first time tonight: Newton’s Dark Secrets.
Truth is, many great scientists of the past have what today we might call “dark secrets.” Marie Curie suffered severe depression, Albert Einstein was a lousy husband, Galileo studied astrology, and Ben Franklin had a weakness for women.
But you know what – they were just people like us doing the best they could with what they had. That’s why I find their real lives so intriguing. In spite of being messy, complicated people they still managed to change their world. Maybe there’s hope for the rest of us 🙂