1 00:00:32,396 --> 00:00:34,297 HEATHER BIRKETT: Hello, and welcome to the National Trust 2 00:00:34,337 --> 00:00:38,759 Podcast. I'm Heather Birkett. In today's episode, we discover how 3 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,241 an ordinary incident led to one of the greatest series of 4 00:00:42,301 --> 00:00:46,123 thoughts in the history of mankind and the unravelling of 5 00:00:46,123 --> 00:00:47,764 the mysteries of the universe. 6 00:00:53,207 --> 00:00:56,029 Today, rather than starting our journey in the grounds of a 7 00:00:56,049 --> 00:00:59,211 National Trust property, we've made our way to the iconic 8 00:00:59,311 --> 00:01:03,113 biospheres and exotic plant collection of the Eden Project 9 00:01:03,233 --> 00:01:04,594 in St Austell, Cornwall. 10 00:01:05,714 --> 00:01:09,457 Amongst all of Eden's exciting flora and fauna sits a very 11 00:01:09,657 --> 00:01:13,099 ordinary looking Apple tree sapling that looks a bit out of 12 00:01:13,119 --> 00:01:13,559 place. 13 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,602 It's skinny and spindly, and compared to some of its 14 00:01:17,682 --> 00:01:20,323 neighbours, looks a little bit plain Jane. 15 00:01:21,624 --> 00:01:24,466 But you should never judge a book by its cover, because this 16 00:01:24,566 --> 00:01:28,990 sapling has one inspirational story to tell. [ 17 00:01:28,990 --> 00:01:38,411 GENERIC: SFX] 3, 2, 1, 0. Engines at maximum thrust for 18 00:01:38,411 --> 00:01:38,838 lift off. 19 00:01:38,838 --> 00:01:41,900 TIMOTHY PEAKE: There's an incredible amount of power, 20 00:01:42,380 --> 00:01:46,642 noise and vibration as the engines accelerate to full 21 00:01:46,702 --> 00:01:47,102 thrust. 22 00:01:47,902 --> 00:01:50,623 There's not a huge amount of acceleration in the first few 23 00:01:50,703 --> 00:01:53,744 seconds. It's 300 tonnes of rocket lifting off. 24 00:01:55,405 --> 00:01:58,046 My name is Tim Peake and I'm an astronaut with the European 25 00:01:58,106 --> 00:01:58,827 Space Agency. 26 00:01:59,167 --> 00:02:02,945 HEATHER BIRKETT: The date is the 15th of December 2015. And Tim 27 00:02:03,125 --> 00:02:06,387 has hitched a ride on the Russian Soyuz rocket on a 28 00:02:06,407 --> 00:02:10,171 mission to the International Space Station. Quite possibly 29 00:02:10,251 --> 00:02:11,632 the commute of a lifetime. 30 00:02:13,133 --> 00:02:14,935 TIMOTHY PEAKE: Quite quickly after leaving the launch pad, 31 00:02:14,955 --> 00:02:16,936 that's when the acceleration really kicks in. 32 00:02:17,857 --> 00:02:18,598 You're on the way. 33 00:02:20,439 --> 00:02:23,662 It's far noisier outside the rocket for the spectators who 34 00:02:23,702 --> 00:02:24,843 are about a kilometre away. 35 00:02:26,325 --> 00:02:29,127 Inside, we have a number of different stages to go through. 36 00:02:30,368 --> 00:02:33,029 The first stage will take us up to about 60 kilometers. 37 00:02:34,470 --> 00:02:37,592 And then we jettison the first stage boosters. And at that 38 00:02:37,672 --> 00:02:41,254 point, we have a really big drop in acceleration as those first 39 00:02:41,254 --> 00:02:42,375 stage boosters fall away. 40 00:02:43,635 --> 00:02:47,437 It's a much gentler, smoother ride on the second stage with 41 00:02:47,477 --> 00:02:49,238 just one engine firing. 42 00:02:50,159 --> 00:02:52,060 That gets us above the Earth's atmosphere. 43 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:54,962 And that's when the nose fairing jettisons so we can get to see 44 00:02:54,982 --> 00:02:57,223 the view of space approaching through the window. 45 00:02:58,684 --> 00:03:02,846 And then the third stage kicks in, and that is pure 46 00:03:02,866 --> 00:03:07,388 acceleration, up to about 4 Gs of acceleration. 47 00:03:07,648 --> 00:03:10,410 It just goes on and on and on. The whole launch sequence lasts 48 00:03:10,410 --> 00:03:11,691 for nearly nine minutes. 49 00:03:11,971 --> 00:03:15,573 The idea, of course, is to get you up to about 220 kilometers 50 00:03:15,693 --> 00:03:19,295 at about 25 times the speed of sound. So it's a wild ride. 51 00:03:20,075 --> 00:03:23,637 You really are feeling the full force of that rocket's 52 00:03:23,957 --> 00:03:27,019 acceleration. And then, you know, within a fraction of a 53 00:03:27,039 --> 00:03:31,132 second, the engine cuts out. And we're in zero-g. 54 00:03:33,173 --> 00:03:37,354 Very quiet, very peaceful, and everything floats inside the 55 00:03:37,374 --> 00:03:40,275 spacecraft. And you know that you safely made it to orbit. 56 00:03:43,136 --> 00:03:45,577 HEATHER BIRKETT: Hitching a ride alongside Tim on this mission 57 00:03:46,037 --> 00:03:49,638 are the seeds from which the Apple tree at the Eden Project 58 00:03:49,718 --> 00:03:52,859 grew, and for quite a significant reason. It's a story 59 00:03:53,019 --> 00:03:54,600 that you may be familiar with. 60 00:03:57,728 --> 00:04:01,650 It all started hundreds of years ago on the 25th of December with 61 00:04:01,690 --> 00:04:03,651 the birth of a very special child. 62 00:04:04,431 --> 00:04:07,952 Richard Fairhead, National Trust volunteer, explains more. 63 00:04:09,453 --> 00:04:12,775 RICHARD FAIRHEAD: On the 25th of December, a baby was born 64 00:04:12,975 --> 00:04:14,475 surrounded by farm animals. 65 00:04:15,876 --> 00:04:20,558 Some chickens, a few pigs, I have no doubt, and some fields 66 00:04:20,618 --> 00:04:21,438 for vegetables. 67 00:04:22,239 --> 00:04:26,156 The main crop, if you can call it a crop, were sheep. In 68 00:04:26,156 --> 00:04:28,758 Lincolnshire, of course, sheep and wool were very important in 69 00:04:28,758 --> 00:04:33,101 those days, and his mother was very keen that he should take on 70 00:04:33,121 --> 00:04:33,721 the farm. 71 00:04:34,422 --> 00:04:37,104 HEATHER BIRKETT: But rather than agriculture, this young man had 72 00:04:37,164 --> 00:04:38,785 his mind set on other things. 73 00:04:42,528 --> 00:04:44,609 RICHARD FAIRHEAD: He was interested in how things worked. 74 00:04:44,929 --> 00:04:49,473 He made models. There's one famous model he made of a 75 00:04:49,513 --> 00:04:54,176 windmill. He took it out into the field, and the wind blew. 76 00:04:54,793 --> 00:04:56,544 And it turned the sails just as it should. 77 00:04:59,828 --> 00:05:03,730 Then the story goes on that he brought it indoors and began to 78 00:05:04,111 --> 00:05:06,332 think, well, it's not going to work indoors, there's no wind. 79 00:05:07,212 --> 00:05:09,854 He thought about this for some time and came up with the idea. 80 00:05:10,774 --> 00:05:14,176 He made a little treadmill, like you have in a hamster cage, 81 00:05:15,057 --> 00:05:18,619 found a real mouse, put the mouse in the treadmill, the 82 00:05:18,659 --> 00:05:20,800 mouse did its stuff, and turned the sails. 83 00:05:21,461 --> 00:05:24,963 I think that's an indication of his practical approach to things 84 00:05:24,983 --> 00:05:29,045 and his inquisitiveness and that practical approach to life 85 00:05:29,205 --> 00:05:31,006 really saw him through the rest of his life. 86 00:05:32,727 --> 00:05:37,730 When he became a teenager, his mother sent him to Grantham, to 87 00:05:37,730 --> 00:05:38,891 the King School. 88 00:05:40,052 --> 00:05:42,313 HEATHER BIRKETT: But school sadly didn't give this young man 89 00:05:42,333 --> 00:05:45,695 the kind of education that he needed to feed his inquisitive 90 00:05:45,735 --> 00:05:46,115 mind. 91 00:05:47,076 --> 00:05:48,857 RICHARD FAIRHEAD: They weren't teaching much in the way of 92 00:05:48,937 --> 00:05:51,738 science and the sort of things that he was really interested 93 00:05:51,818 --> 00:05:51,938 in. 94 00:05:52,519 --> 00:05:55,000 HEATHER BIRKETT: And despite having her mind set, on him 95 00:05:55,100 --> 00:05:57,841 taking over the farm after school, his mother was 96 00:05:57,881 --> 00:06:00,603 eventually persuaded to let him go to university. 97 00:06:06,325 --> 00:06:11,507 RICHARD FAIRHEAD: In 1661, he went off to Cambridge, to 98 00:06:11,607 --> 00:06:12,548 Trinity College. 99 00:06:13,168 --> 00:06:15,989 HEATHER BIRKETT: And even here, he still wasn't able to get the 100 00:06:16,009 --> 00:06:17,890 kind of education that he desired. 101 00:06:19,030 --> 00:06:24,276 But finally, in 1665, he got his degree. And free to study more 102 00:06:24,336 --> 00:06:27,297 autonomously, he was able to research the things that 103 00:06:27,337 --> 00:06:28,097 interested him. 104 00:06:29,738 --> 00:06:30,858 But this was short-lived. 105 00:06:31,918 --> 00:06:36,860 RICHARD FAIRHEAD: In 1665, in London, the plague hit, the 106 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:37,980 bubonic plague. 107 00:06:38,700 --> 00:06:42,461 And it was beginning to go out to other parts of the country. 108 00:06:43,062 --> 00:06:46,523 And they were so worried at Cambridge that if it got there, 109 00:06:46,863 --> 00:06:50,024 with all the people meeting in the university, it would be a 110 00:06:50,084 --> 00:06:51,204 real disaster. 111 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,881 So they took the decision to close the university and sent 112 00:06:55,941 --> 00:06:56,721 everybody home. 113 00:06:58,502 --> 00:07:00,883 HEATHER BIRKETT: So our young scientist was sent back to 114 00:07:00,903 --> 00:07:04,384 Lincoln to social distance. But far from disrupting his 115 00:07:04,444 --> 00:07:08,065 research, lockdown gave him the time and space to immerse 116 00:07:08,105 --> 00:07:09,205 himself in his work. 117 00:07:11,746 --> 00:07:15,167 RICHARD FAIRHEAD: So in about a year and a half, he got started 118 00:07:15,227 --> 00:07:19,808 on some of his big ideas. The world changed in that year. 119 00:07:21,484 --> 00:07:23,285 HEATHER BIRKETT: He studied religion and philosophy, 120 00:07:23,686 --> 00:07:27,348 experimented with lenses, and was the first to split white 121 00:07:27,388 --> 00:07:29,850 light into its rainbow spectrum with a prism. 122 00:07:31,031 --> 00:07:33,532 But it was an instance of happenstance while he was 123 00:07:33,592 --> 00:07:36,594 relaxing in his apple orchard that would lead to his greatest 124 00:07:36,634 --> 00:07:37,095 discovery. 125 00:07:38,095 --> 00:07:40,417 RICHARD FAIRHEAD: He was sitting underneath the tree, probably 126 00:07:40,497 --> 00:07:44,119 reading a book, thinking about some theory he was following up. 127 00:07:44,660 --> 00:07:49,303 And as apples do, one of them fell down besides him. 128 00:07:50,284 --> 00:07:52,885 And I guess he was a bit startled. He looked up to see 129 00:07:52,905 --> 00:07:53,926 where the Apple had come from. 130 00:07:54,386 --> 00:07:57,689 And he began to think, what makes things fall directly to 131 00:07:57,709 --> 00:08:00,171 the Earth? Is there some sort of attraction? 132 00:08:00,791 --> 00:08:03,153 Is there some sort of force which is involved? 133 00:08:03,453 --> 00:08:06,895 And of course, he thought about this over the years to come, and 134 00:08:06,915 --> 00:08:10,518 in time came up with this whole theory of his about gravity. 135 00:08:13,260 --> 00:08:15,381 HEATHER BIRKETT: So in case you haven't guessed it yet, the man 136 00:08:15,421 --> 00:08:19,344 we're talking about is Sir Isaac Newton and the property The 137 00:08:19,364 --> 00:08:23,146 National Trust's Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincoln, still home to 138 00:08:23,246 --> 00:08:24,147 Newton's Apple tree. 139 00:08:25,868 --> 00:08:28,309 His theory of gravity is something we now take for 140 00:08:28,309 --> 00:08:32,351 granted. But in the 1600s, according to Dr Cornelius 141 00:08:32,411 --> 00:08:36,614 Schilt, postdoctoral scholar at Oxford, this realisation had a 142 00:08:36,694 --> 00:08:38,215 monumental impact. 143 00:08:39,595 --> 00:08:41,977 DR CORNELIUS SCHILT: It changed the world of mathematics and the 144 00:08:41,997 --> 00:08:45,278 world of natural philosophy to such a degree that the entire 145 00:08:45,939 --> 00:08:49,480 18th century, so the following century, was basically designed 146 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,441 as a confirmation of what Newton had written. 147 00:08:54,202 --> 00:08:56,983 HEATHER BIRKETT: However, despite the revolutionary impact 148 00:08:57,003 --> 00:09:00,964 of Isaac's encounter, gravity may not have been something that 149 00:09:01,024 --> 00:09:02,484 occupied many of his thoughts. 150 00:09:03,444 --> 00:09:05,285 DR CORNELIUS SCHILT: He's much more interested in optics. He 151 00:09:05,605 --> 00:09:07,966 makes his own reflecting telescopes. He's not really 152 00:09:08,026 --> 00:09:09,426 thinking about gravity. 153 00:09:09,806 --> 00:09:14,168 HEATHER BIRKETT: But for some reason, in 1684, 20 years after 154 00:09:14,208 --> 00:09:17,869 his apple inspiration, suddenly his thoughts once again turned 155 00:09:17,869 --> 00:09:18,449 to gravity. 156 00:09:18,949 --> 00:09:22,910 DR CORNELIUS SCHILT: Out of the blue he drops everything that 157 00:09:22,930 --> 00:09:25,551 he's doing, and he starts writing the Principia. 158 00:09:25,931 --> 00:09:28,532 HEATHER BIRKETT: The Principia, or to give it its full name, 159 00:09:28,952 --> 00:09:33,953 Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, was a three-volume 160 00:09:33,993 --> 00:09:37,794 publication where Newton first described his theory for the 161 00:09:37,874 --> 00:09:40,115 universal law of gravitation. 162 00:09:43,216 --> 00:09:47,539 But for Newton himself, and for those in his closest circle, his 163 00:09:47,639 --> 00:09:50,942 world-changing ideas needed a lot of encouragement to be 164 00:09:51,022 --> 00:09:52,364 shared in the first place. 165 00:09:56,092 --> 00:09:58,214 JENNIE JOHNS: I don't think that he was perhaps as self-confident 166 00:09:58,254 --> 00:10:00,675 as automatically assumed that this bright, intelligent mind 167 00:10:00,695 --> 00:10:03,457 would be. He needed the help of others to get him where he was. 168 00:10:03,797 --> 00:10:06,579 HEATHER BIRKETT: This is Jennie Johns, part of the team who look 169 00:10:06,659 --> 00:10:08,541 after Newton's home at Woolsthorpe. 170 00:10:09,261 --> 00:10:10,602 JENNIE JOHNS: It's quite understood that he was a 171 00:10:10,642 --> 00:10:13,724 difficult person. There's a well-known feud with a fellow 172 00:10:13,784 --> 00:10:19,168 scientist, a German scientist called Leibniz, that they had a 173 00:10:19,188 --> 00:10:22,310 difficult relationship. Similarly with Robert Hooke at 174 00:10:22,310 --> 00:10:23,251 the Royal Society. 175 00:10:24,011 --> 00:10:26,508 HEATHER BIRKETT: To the Newton family, Isaac was forever 176 00:10:26,588 --> 00:10:29,529 destined to look after the farm at the manor house that he had 177 00:10:29,569 --> 00:10:30,169 inherited. 178 00:10:30,750 --> 00:10:33,870 JENNIE JOHNS: He was born here as lord of the manor since his 179 00:10:33,930 --> 00:10:36,971 father pre-deceased him and spent a lot of time with his 180 00:10:36,991 --> 00:10:39,992 grandmother after his mother remarried when he was three. 181 00:10:40,672 --> 00:10:43,953 And his grandmother was aware of his position as lord of the 182 00:10:43,973 --> 00:10:45,974 manor and therefore didn't really encourage him to 183 00:10:46,674 --> 00:10:48,355 socialise much with the local children. 184 00:10:48,935 --> 00:10:51,856 And it's documented that when he was at school later on as a 185 00:10:51,876 --> 00:10:55,197 teenager in Grantham, at the King's School, he got into a 186 00:10:55,217 --> 00:10:57,698 playground argument with a fellow pupil. 187 00:10:58,118 --> 00:11:01,539 And that actually encouraged him to do better in his studies, 188 00:11:01,599 --> 00:11:04,260 because at the time, he wasn't a great student, he was at the 189 00:11:04,260 --> 00:11:08,682 bottom of his class, not because he wasn't capable, but he was 190 00:11:08,742 --> 00:11:11,463 just distracted by other things and he had other interests. 191 00:11:11,723 --> 00:11:14,325 Today, if- we would really encourage that, and we would be 192 00:11:15,125 --> 00:11:17,566 probably really excited to see this mind at work. 193 00:11:17,766 --> 00:11:20,947 But of course, back then, he was viewed as probably being a bit 194 00:11:21,007 --> 00:11:22,568 strange and different. 195 00:11:23,988 --> 00:11:24,989 But look what he turned into. 196 00:11:27,489 --> 00:11:30,790 HEATHER BIRKETT: These feuds and fallings out ran as a continuous 197 00:11:30,850 --> 00:11:34,951 theme throughout his life. As he matured, the physical fights 198 00:11:35,031 --> 00:11:38,172 lessened, but the truculent personality remained. 199 00:11:38,933 --> 00:11:42,154 Deep down, Newton was a very introverted person. 200 00:11:42,894 --> 00:11:47,615 A biography from Oxford University noting that; "Even in 201 00:11:47,715 --> 00:11:52,093 his maturity, having become rich, famous, laden with honours 202 00:11:52,273 --> 00:11:55,436 and internationally acclaimed as one of the world's foremost 203 00:11:55,496 --> 00:11:59,819 thinkers, he remained deeply insecure, given to fits of 204 00:11:59,839 --> 00:12:04,223 depression and outbursts of violent temper, implacable in 205 00:12:04,263 --> 00:12:08,546 pursuit of anyone by whom he felt threatened." 206 00:12:08,546 --> 00:12:11,669 While we can never truly know the inner workings of a person's 207 00:12:11,729 --> 00:12:15,832 mind, we can, however, say with some degree of confidence that 208 00:12:15,892 --> 00:12:21,297 Newton's was full of ideas, but that he himself felt alone and 209 00:12:21,417 --> 00:12:23,018 unable to share them with anyone. 210 00:12:27,002 --> 00:12:30,024 That was until he met the astronomer, Edmund Halley. 211 00:12:30,685 --> 00:12:33,668 Halley had been working on a theory that there must be a 212 00:12:33,768 --> 00:12:36,810 force that allowed planets to be attracted to the sun. 213 00:12:37,431 --> 00:12:40,994 A force which allowed for their movement, but with a degree of 214 00:12:41,054 --> 00:12:44,817 predictability. Halley had presented his ideas, but they 215 00:12:44,857 --> 00:12:47,880 were quickly dismissed without having any mathematical proof. 216 00:12:51,788 --> 00:12:55,010 Keen to find a solution, Halley headed for Cambridge, where 217 00:12:55,190 --> 00:12:58,171 Isaac Newton was working as a professor of mathematics. 218 00:12:59,372 --> 00:13:02,753 The pair had met briefly before in London and had shared some 219 00:13:02,813 --> 00:13:06,395 letters theorising the movement of comets, but it was this 220 00:13:06,475 --> 00:13:09,536 meeting that set in motion the beginning of the Principia. 221 00:13:10,537 --> 00:13:13,598 When presented with the challenge of why planets move in 222 00:13:13,598 --> 00:13:16,299 the way that they do, Newton suggested that they were 223 00:13:16,339 --> 00:13:17,660 following an ellipse. 224 00:13:20,672 --> 00:13:24,415 And furthermore, he had already come up with the calculations to 225 00:13:24,455 --> 00:13:24,895 prove it. 226 00:13:25,556 --> 00:13:29,438 Halley was stunned, and Newton was encouraged. He was now 227 00:13:29,558 --> 00:13:33,121 reassured that his thoughts and theories could be met with the 228 00:13:33,141 --> 00:13:35,423 praise he knew they deserved. 229 00:13:39,045 --> 00:13:41,887 Halley continued to encourage Newton over the course of the 230 00:13:41,887 --> 00:13:46,931 next 18 months, and in April of 1686, his works were presented 231 00:13:46,931 --> 00:13:48,072 to the Royal Society. 232 00:13:48,420 --> 00:13:50,582 JENNIE JOHNS: And he presented it to the Royal Society and 233 00:13:51,302 --> 00:13:54,905 other scholars, and it was slated. It was heavily 234 00:13:54,985 --> 00:14:01,169 criticised. So he said, right, fine, that's it. I'll sit on it. 235 00:14:01,489 --> 00:14:03,831 I won't publish it. That's it. Never talk about it again. 236 00:14:05,092 --> 00:14:07,554 HEATHER BIRKETT: One of the Society fellows, a scientist 237 00:14:07,694 --> 00:14:11,216 named Robert Hooke, was leading the claim that this work had 238 00:14:11,256 --> 00:14:15,079 been plagiarised, putting Newton into a position he was deeply 239 00:14:15,319 --> 00:14:16,260 uncomfortable with. 240 00:14:17,564 --> 00:14:21,127 Newton's immediate response was to withdraw and threaten to pull 241 00:14:21,207 --> 00:14:23,629 part of his manuscripts away from publication. 242 00:14:25,351 --> 00:14:28,273 Some months passed, and thankfully, with some more 243 00:14:28,313 --> 00:14:31,676 gentle persuasion and the resolve of his friend Edmund 244 00:14:31,716 --> 00:14:35,259 Halley, Newton was finally warmed back to the idea that his 245 00:14:35,319 --> 00:14:36,660 thoughts were worthwhile. 246 00:14:38,101 --> 00:14:41,944 Robert Hooke's claims were never held up, and in June of the same 247 00:14:41,984 --> 00:14:45,887 year, the Principia was given the go-ahead to be published and 248 00:14:45,948 --> 00:14:47,755 printed from the Royal Society. 249 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,541 KEITH MOORE: However, tracking back on what the Royal Society 250 00:14:53,621 --> 00:14:59,783 was up to at that time, it had, the year before, published a 251 00:14:59,803 --> 00:15:04,384 very good book, not as good as Newton's, and that was John Ray 252 00:15:05,284 --> 00:15:07,605 and Francis Willoughby's History of Fishes. 253 00:15:07,965 --> 00:15:10,545 HEATHER BIRKETT: This is Keith Moore, head of collections at 254 00:15:10,525 --> 00:15:11,966 the Royal Society Library. 255 00:15:12,746 --> 00:15:15,527 Although the book had been given the green light, there was no 256 00:15:15,627 --> 00:15:18,028 money to pay for it to get through the printers. 257 00:15:18,448 --> 00:15:21,825 KEITH MOORE: The Society's finances were somewhat 258 00:15:21,925 --> 00:15:24,866 embarrassed, shall we say. It meant that they couldn't afford 259 00:15:24,866 --> 00:15:27,607 to print Newton's Principia Mathematica. 260 00:15:27,927 --> 00:15:31,709 That meant Halley got the job of doing it and paying the costs as 261 00:15:31,769 --> 00:15:32,049 well. 262 00:15:32,229 --> 00:15:37,851 So, Halley is really a scientific hero because he made 263 00:15:37,871 --> 00:15:40,953 it possible for Principia Mathematica to appear. 264 00:15:41,773 --> 00:15:44,314 HEATHER BIRKETT: So, Principia had finally made it into the 265 00:15:44,334 --> 00:15:47,435 world, and with it, a brand new understanding of how the 266 00:15:47,515 --> 00:15:48,556 universe behaves. 267 00:15:49,212 --> 00:15:52,575 Today, we remember Isaac Newton and a chance happening in an 268 00:15:52,615 --> 00:15:56,258 orchard for unlocking many of the scientific ideas that we 269 00:15:56,338 --> 00:15:57,399 hold in the present. 270 00:15:58,099 --> 00:16:01,462 The simple act of an apple falling to the ground became the 271 00:16:01,522 --> 00:16:05,225 perfect and understandable symbol of how our planets and 272 00:16:05,265 --> 00:16:07,727 stars align under the force of gravity. 273 00:16:10,470 --> 00:16:13,572 Pips from Newton's Apple tree have now grown into plants of 274 00:16:13,592 --> 00:16:17,295 their own in the gardens at the Eden Project, the United Nations 275 00:16:17,295 --> 00:16:20,874 in Vienna, and back at home alongside the original at 276 00:16:20,934 --> 00:16:21,814 Woolsthorpe Manor. 277 00:16:22,735 --> 00:16:26,557 As for Edmund Halley, he used his friend's workings to predict 278 00:16:26,617 --> 00:16:29,479 the movement and appearance of one of the most well-known 279 00:16:29,579 --> 00:16:32,181 comets in the sky, Halley's Comet. 280 00:16:33,702 --> 00:16:36,744 And in case you're wondering, he was eventually repaid by the 281 00:16:36,764 --> 00:16:39,946 Royal Society for fronting the costs to have the Principia 282 00:16:40,026 --> 00:16:43,568 published in unsold copies of The History of Fishes. 283 00:16:55,809 --> 00:16:58,810 Thank you for listening to the National Trust Podcast. To find 284 00:16:58,871 --> 00:17:02,252 out more about Isaac Newton and his life at Woolsthorpe, please 285 00:17:02,272 --> 00:17:04,414 take a look at the links in our show notes. 286 00:17:05,094 --> 00:17:08,596 To be the first to hear new episodes, be sure to subscribe 287 00:17:08,816 --> 00:17:11,337 or follow this show in your favourite podcast app. 288 00:17:11,878 --> 00:17:14,659 And if you like anything that you have heard or want to get in 289 00:17:14,699 --> 00:17:17,080 touch, you can reach us by emailing 290 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,562 podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk. 291 00:17:21,803 --> 00:17:24,985 We'll be back soon with a new episode. But until next time, 292 00:17:25,105 --> 00:17:27,226 from me, Heather Birkett, goodbye.