Full Name: Sir Isaac Newton

Lived Between: 1643-1727

Nationality: British

Primary Occupation: Physicist

Claim to Fame: Newton's Law of Gravitation. Contrary to folklore, Newton did not get his inspiration from being bonked on the head by a falling apple while sitting under a tree.  One of Isaac Newton's other major scientific achievements was the invention of the reflecting telescope.  Newton also proved Johannes Kepler's Laws about the orbits of planets, using calculus.

Recommended Book: The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy -- Isaac Newton, et al; Paperback

Recommended Link: http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/HistMath/People/Newton/RouseBall/RB_Newton.html