The Publication of Newton's Principia (1687)
On 5 July 1687, the first edition of Isaac Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica was published in London. Usually known simply as the Principia, the book presented Newton’s laws of motion and his theory of universal gravitation, providing a mathematical framework capable of explaining phenomena ranging from falling objects on Earth to the motion of the Moon and planets. The publication was one of the defining intellectual events of the Scientific Revolution. Newton did not discover the laws of nature in isolation, nor did the Principia suddenly create modern science. It brought together generations of mathematical astronomy, experimental investigation, mechanics, and philosophical debate into a remarkably powerful system. ...