SPCOLLECTION/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
EUREKA MOMENT: Isaac Newton sits under an apple tree, watching an apple fall to the ground.
Famed English physicist Isaac Newton was born on Christmas Day in 1642. Hundreds of years later, some people like to celebrate his birthday as a holiday called Newtonmas!
Newton is considered one of the fathers of modern science. In the late 1600s, he watched an apple fall from a tree and concluded that all objects exert a pulling force called gravity. He’s also known for inventing calculus and defining the laws of motion, which are the foundation for physics.
Want to celebrate Newtonmas? Richard Stallman, a computer programmer who helped popularize the holiday, suggests hanging up apples as festive decorations!