Isaac Newton was an Englishmathematician,natural philosopher,theologian,alchemist and one of the most influentialscientists inhuman history. HisPhilosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica is considered to be one of the most influential books in thehistory of science, laying the groundwork for most ofclassical mechanics by describinguniversal gravitation and the threelaws of motion. In mathematics, Newton shares the credit withGottfried Leibniz for thedevelopment of the differential and integralcalculus.

Because of the resounding impact of his work, Newton became ascience icon, as didAlbert Einstein after publishing histheory of relativity more than 200 years later.^[1][2][3] Many books, plays, and films focus on Newton or use Newton as aliterary device. Newton's stature among scientists remains at the very top rank, as demonstrated by a 2005 dual survey of scientists in Britain'sRoyal Society (formerly headed by Newton) and the general public asking who had the greater effect on thehistory of science and on the history of humanity, Newton or Einstein, Newton was deemed the more influential for both questions by both the public and scientists.^[4] In 1999, leading physicists voted Albert Einstein "greatest physicist ever"; Newton was the runner-up.^[5] A parallel survey of rank-and-file physicists gave the top spot to Newton.^[5][6]

• William Blake created a colour copper engraving entitledNewton, in 1795.^[7] The engraving would serve as the basis for bronze statueNewton, made in 1995 by the sculptorEduardo Paolozzi.^[8]
• French architectÉtienne-Louis Boullée designed an unbuilt monumentalCénotaphe à Newton (1784), which he intended as an unadorned 500ft tall sphere encompassed by trees. Points of light would penetrate through the sphere in such a way as to replicate positions of the stars and planets in the night sky.^[9]

English poetAlexander Pope was moved by Newton's accomplishments to write the famousepitaph:^[10]

Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night;
God said "Let Newton be" and all was light.

English poetJ. C. Squire satirised this:^[11]

It could not last; the Devil shouting "Ho!
Let Einstein be!" restored thestatus quo.

The following passage is fromWilliam Wordsworth'sThe Prelude, in which he describes a marble statue of Newton atTrinity College, Cambridge:^[12]

And from my pillow, looking forth by light
Of moon or favouring stars, I could behold
The antechapel where the statue stood
Of Newton with his prism and silent face,
The marble index of a mind for ever
Voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone.

• Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion,William Blake^[13]
• A Poem Sacred to the Memory of Sir Isaac Newton,James Thomson^[14]
• The Movement of Bodies,Sheenagh Pugh^[15]

• Maureen McNeil (2007)."Newton as a national hero".Feminist Cultural Studies of Science and Technology.Routledge. pp. 27–43.ISBN 978-0-415-44537-5.
• A. Bowdoin Van Ripper (2002).Science in Popular Culture.Greenwood Press.ISBN 978-0-313-31822-1.
• Mordechai Feingold (2004).The Newtonian Moment: Isaac Newton and the Making of Modern Culture.Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-517734-3.

• Newton and his alchemical experiments play a central role in the 2012 young adult novelsThe Prince of Soul and The Lighthouse by Fredrik Brounéus.
• Isaac Newton plays a significant role inThe Age of Unreason, a series of fouralternate historynovels written by Americanscience fiction andfantasy authorGregory Keyes.^{[citation needed]}
• Newton is an important character inThe Baroque Cycle byNeal Stephenson. A major theme of these novels is the emergence of modern science, with Newton's work in thePrincipia being prominent. Newton's interest inalchemy and the dispute over the discovery ofcalculus are prominent plot points, and there is a (fictional) debate onmetaphysics between Newton andGottfried Leibniz moderated byCaroline of Ansbach. The development of an economy based on money and credit is also a major theme, with Newton's time with theRoyal Mint and intrigues againstcounterfeit leading to aTrial of the Pyx.^{[citation needed]}
• Newton is a recurring character inGotlib'sRubrique-à-Brac series of comics, where he repeatedly discovers gravity or randomly bizarre laws after being (often very heavily) hit on the head by various objects, including thefamous apple.
• Newton is the protagonist of the 2002Philip Kerr novelDark Matter, set during theGreat Recoinage.
• Newton is a major character inMichael White's 2006 novelEquinox.
• 'Sir Isaac Newton' is a newt inThe Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher byBeatrix Potter.
• The 2017 novelA Dragon's Guide to Making Your Human Smarter byLaurence Yep features Newton as a character, having lived to the present day due to finding thePhilosopher's Stone. He is a teacher at the Spriggs Academy for ordinary humans and magical beings, and continues to create innovations such as a wormhole generator. Newton also displays a wry sense of humor, using his invention to prankCharles II, supposedly on the grounds of refusing to knight him.
• Newton is a significant historical character inMarvel's616 universe, first as an inductee and subsequent member of theBrotherhood of the Shield,^[16] then as thesorcerer supreme^[17] of his era. He is shown to be super-intelligent and inventive and often plays a villainous role.

• Newton's alleged participation in thePriory of Sion; Newton's grave inWestminster Abbey provides the crucial clue in the mystery thrillerThe Da Vinci Code.^{[citation needed]}
• Newton is credited as having invented the pet door (cat flap) as a monumental life achievement in Douglas Adams’sDirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987).^{[citation needed]}
• "Ghostwalk" is a story mainly about the mystery between Newton and Ezekiel Foxcroft's crime.
• InBen Aaronovitch'sPeter Grant series of novels, Newton formalised the system and practice of magic in the United Kingdom in a process referred to as "The Newtonian Synthesis". Newton was also a founder of The Folly, the United Kingdom's state magical institution.

• Arcadia,Tom Stoppard, includes long discussions of topics of mathematical interest including: Fermat's Last Theorem and Newtonian determinism^[18]
• Five Fugues For Isaac Newton, Rae Davis
• Calculus, Carl Djerassi
• Small Infinities, Alan Brody, MIT
• Character in the playIn Good King Charles's Glorious Days - byGeorge Bernard Shaw
• The Physicists, a satiric drama byFriedrich Dürrenmatt
• Let Newton Be!, a verbatim play constructed from the published and unpublished words of Newton and his immediate contemporaries by Craig Baxter

• In 1982, Dan Kern played Newton in an episode ofVoyagers!, "Cleo and the Babe".^[19]
• From 1983 until 1998,Newton's Apple ran on PBS and was based around answering science questions for children.^[20]
• Trevor Howard guest-starred as Newton in the 1986 mini-seriesPeter the Great.^[21]
• In 1993,John Neville played Newton in an episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, "Descent".^[22]
• In 1996, Newton was the main villain of the animeThe Vision of Escaflowne asEmperor Dornkirk.^[23]
• In 1996 and 1997, Newton was played byPeter Dennis in theStar Trek: Voyager episodes "Death Wish" and "Darkling".^[24][25]
• In 2007,David Warner portrayed Newton in theDoctor Who audio dramaCircular Time.^[26] TheFourth Doctor had previously mentioned his acquaintance with Newton in the TV serialsShada and "The Five Doctors" (the same footage reused).
• In the Japanese television show,Kamen Rider Ghost, the ghost of Isaac Newton helps the main character Takeru Tenkuji/Kamen Rider Ghost to access his gravity-controlling Newton Damashii form. Newton's ghost also helps him on his journey to unite the 15 Heroic souls.
• In 2023, the character of Newton returned in theDoctor Who 2023 special, Wild Blue Yonder, played byNathaniel Curtis.

• Harpo Marx played Newton in a comic appearance in the filmThe Story of Mankind.
• Me & Isaac Newton, (1999) is a documentary, byMichael Apted, about seven scientists.^[27][28]
• "Weird Al" Yankovic portrayed Newton in a third-season episode of the web seriesEpic Rap Battles of History.
• Newton appears in the web seriesSuper Science Friends where he is the hero of a teenageAlbert Einstein.

• InMario's Time Machine, Isaac Newton appears in the game.Bowser steals the apple from the tree, andMario returns it so it may fall and Newton can make his discoveries.
• Empire: Total War features Newton, toBritain in the Grand Campaign.
• InBioshock Infinite, in the passive upgrade system, there is a gear called "Newton's Law". He is also referenced to in the DLCBioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea by Rosalind Lutece, and later byAndrew Ryan.
• InThe Battle Cats, Newton appears as a Zero Legends boss and a unit in the game.

Some atheists, sceptics, and others have referred to 25 December asNewtonmas, atongue-in-cheek reference toChristmas. Celebrants send cards with "Reason's Greetings!" printed inside, and exchange boxes of apples and science-related items as gifts. The celebration may have had its origin in a meeting of the Newton Association at Christmas 1890 to talk, distribute gifts, and share laughter and good cheer. The nameNewtonmas can be attributed toThe Skeptics Society, which needed an alternative name for its Christmas party.^[30] Another name for this holiday is Gravmas (also spelt Gravmass or Grav-mass) which is an abbreviation of "gravitational mass" due to Newton's Theory of Gravitation.^[31]

On 25 December 2014, AmericanastrophysicistNeil deGrasse Tysontweeted:

On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world. Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec. 25, 1642.

In a subsequent interview, Tyson denied being "anti-Christian", noting that Jesus' true birthdate is unknown.^[32]

Newton's birthday was 25 December under theOld Style Julian Calendar used in Protestant England at the time, but was 4 January under theNew Style Gregorian Calendar used simultaneously in Catholic Europe. The period between has been proposed for a holiday season called "10 Days of Newton" to commemorate this.^[33]

• Category:Cultural depictions of scientists
• List of things named after Isaac Newton

• Patricia Fara, David Money (2004). "Isaac Newton and Augustan Anglo-Latin poetry".Studies in History and Philosophy of Science A.35 (3):549–571.Bibcode:2004SHPSA..35..549F.doi:10.1016/j.shpsa.2004.06.007.

• Isaac Newton at the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)

• Cultural depictions of Isaac Newton
• Observances about science

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