How FFF* nearly prevented the powerful development of western science and civilization
* Fascination with a Flying Fish
The fish that nearly sank Isaac Newton's career
This striking wood engraving appeared in the 1686 text "Historia Piscium" or "The History of Fishes" by John Ray and Francis Willughby. Now mostly forgotten, the book was groundbreaking for its time. Unfortunately, "The History of Fishes" almost prevented another groundbreaking work from being published: Isaac Newton's "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy").
The lavish engravings in "The History of Fishes" were so expensive to publish that they nearly bankrupted the young Royal Society, at that time only 26 years old. Short of cash, the Society had to rescind its promise to help pay for the production of Newton's masterpiece.
So what did save the career of Newton and advance the awesome power of the study of physics ? To find out read the rest of the story here .
http://news.yahoo.com/fish-nearly-sank-isaac-newtons-career-230604241.html
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Just think of the way history would have changed had Newton's most famous work never been published . The effects on our civilization would have been enormous and not in a good way .
Do I have to outline how ? Newton's three laws of motion , the law of universal gravitation and the invention of integral calculus would all have been lost to western civilization .
But I like flying fish. Who cares about gravity?
Really interesting article. I had no idea! I still have no idea...because the link won't load
It seems that those who share the same interests are the most likely to help.
What R U talkin bout ? I linked it twice and they both still work ...
Works fine.
Edmond Halley. Cool....
Fascinating stuff.
It was having an ally on the inside which made all the difference .
You see that ... Halley was just a clerk in the Royal Society at the time . This event must have been the motivating factor that turned him on to telescopes and astronomy .
It's enough to make one get philosophical ...
Anyone who thinks that a picture of an unusual fish should take precedence over Newtonian physics should have this happen to them ...