Today started out poorly. We left our accomodation wrapped in raincoats, anticipating overcast skies and pouring rain. As luck would have it, the rain did not eventuate and we enjoyed a wonderful few hours being guided around Cambridge by a local guide.
It was hard for me to hold back the emotion of standing near a plaque announcing the discovery of DNA or the electron. Today was a wonderful experience. The sense of history and accomplishment that preceeds the generations of students and scientists who have given so much to our world and collective knowledge is an awe filling experience. To walk where Issac Newton has walked; to see with my eyes the sights that Stephen Hawking has seen – these are memories I shall treasure for ever.
In the forecourt of Trinity College there is an apple tree reportedly from a planting taken from THE apple tree under which Issac Newton sat when his inspiration for the Universal Law of Gravitation was otherwise conceived. Issac Newton was admitted to Trinity College in June of 1661. It is impossible to imagine how the world would have evolved without his genius and the scientists that followed him and borrowed from his intellect – as he had from theirs. Some of you may be aware that Newton has been my pin-up boy for science and that within my limited knowledge of such things, he represents the greatest scientist in the history of science.
During our September 2013 visit to Dubbo and central NSW, we visited Parkes and I recalled having taken photographs of an Apple tree at the Parkes Radio Telecscope commemorating Issac Newton’s Apple Tree. I took this image from our photo archive off Topsy and am pleased to share the link it has to our current adventure on the other side of the globe and the more than 300 years that have passed since Newton walked among us.
Today we enjoy the benefits of Sir Issac Newton’s contribution to our world and the cascading effect that his science and mathematics has provided to subsequent generations of mathematicians and scientists. It is humbling to visit these places and consider the legacy that we may leave in our passing – our children, yes, are important and significant in their own way, but what have WE done that will leave a mark on the world in some small way.
Having lived is somehow not enough.
What a fabulous post. All true enough and great to have our thoughts poked in relation to great people achieving great things. Another thought. In the mid 1660s (I’d have to consult Ancestry for the dates) in a town not too far from you (Denchworth) lived George and Sarah Belcher. He was a farm labourer. Thanks to him and Sarah we are here today.
Keep having a good time and sharing your experiences. Loving it!! ??
Thanks so much for the updates. You both sound like you are having such an adventure.