Did an Apple Really Fall on Newton’s Head?

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• The apple had fallen within eye distance, not on Isaac Newton’s head.

Throughout our lives, we must have come across a superstition that Newton was sitting and resting in the shade of a tree and that an apple fell on his head, and as a result, he discovered the law of gravity. The life of British scientist Isaac Newton, one of the best-known names in classical physics, is true with many oddities. Let’s talk about that in another article.

Let’s get back to our topic. So is this true? Did an apple fall on Newton’s head? Or is this nothing more than a myth? Let’s have a look at this.

The Apple Fell Away, Not on Newton’s Head

Contrary to popular belief, this famous apple had fallen somewhere within eye distance, not on Newton’s head.

The son of a farmer in England, Isaac Newton was born in England in 1642. He entered Cambridge University in 1661, but his education there was interrupted because the school was temporarily closed due to the Great Plague of London. For this reason, Newton went to his childhood home. Schools were closed for a while due to the epidemic, but whether Newton stops or not, of course. This young genius began to observe nature in the garden of his house.

One day, looking out the window of his house, he wondered why the apples kept falling to the ground:

“Why doesn’t it move toward the sky but always fall to the ground?”

Newton discovered physical motion, which led him to propose the law of gravitation.

How Did The Legend That Newton Had An Apple On His Head Spread?

In 1726, one year before his death, Newton shared this issue with his fellow Anglican physicist William Stukeley. Stukeley also showed loyalty to his friend and wrote a biographical book about his name and life. The name of this book is The Life and Memoirs of Isaac Newton. (Memoirs of sir isaac newton’s life)

In the book, this event was transferred from Newton’s language to Stukeley. Of course, the fall of the apple to the ground was distorted as it spread from tongue to tongue. So in summary, the apple did indeed fall, but it was not Newton’s head that fell, but the garden of his house!

The famous apple tree near Newton’s house: