Isaac Newton (1643-1727)

An English mathematician, astronomer, theologian, author and physicist (described in his own day as a "natural philosopher") who is widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time, and a key figure in the scientific revolution. His book The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, first published in 1687, laid the foundations of classical mechanics. He shares credit with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing calculus.