Isaac Newton changed the way we understand the Universe. Revered in his own lifetime, he discovered the laws of gravity and motion ... Newton's theories about light did not go down well.

And all at once, Newton realised that the force of gravity pulling the apple down ... Philip Ball tells the story of the life and ideas of Isaac Newton, who was born on Christmas Day in 1642.

Although the famous story about Newton seeing an apple fall from a tree and wondering if there was a general theory of gravity is probably true, he did not really understand gravity for another 20 ...