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"Master Isaac Newton in His Garden at Woolsthorpe, in the Autumn of 1665", Robert Hannah, 1856
Jul 5
the Publication of Principia Mathematica
Uncle Isaac
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away... unless it falls on your head, then you just discovered gravity."
~ Newtonian humour
Named for the great natural philosopher Sir Isaac Newton—English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, author, and one of the most influential scientists in history—Uncle Isaac is a delightful 32-bar reel for 2 couples, devised by John Drewry. The dance itself is full of engaging figures that seem to echo Newtonian motion, including a men's chain, half-turn and cast away (twirl), a reversing-direction promenade, and other lively movements that keep dancers thinking about gravity, momentum, and changing directions.
The inspiration for the dance came from Drewry's own family lore. As he recounted: "My father's mother claimed to have a family connection with Sir Isaac Newton. We have no proof of this connection, but they both came from the same part of Lincolnshire. An interesting parallel is that I was sitting one day under a haggis tree and a haggis fell off onto my head. This made me gravitate to Scottish Country Dancing!" He later added that someone in the "Big Apple" actually believed the story—proof, perhaps, that if one tells a big enough tale, it may eventually become accepted as truth!
Drewry also shared another wonderful family anecdote. One of his father's cousins once took her mother, his grandmother, and another aunt to a restaurant in London. Hoping to impress the other diners, the aunt announced rather loudly, "Of course we are all descended from Sir Isaac Newton." She was immediately kicked under the table because, after all, "Uncle Isaac" was a lifelong bachelor—and in those days, the notion of explaining otherwise was simply not discussed in polite company.
As for Newton himself, while the famous story of the falling apple is often dismissed as an oversimplification of how he developed his ideas on gravity, several of his contemporaries confirmed that the incident did occur and that Newton himself frequently recounted the story. Whether inspired by apples or haggis, this clever reel is a fitting tribute to one of history's greatest minds. 🕺 💃 ❤️ 💚 ❤️ 🍏 🍎 🍏 ⚛️ ⚛️ ⚛️
Uncle Isaac
This John Drewry Dance was composed in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Cambridge University Scottish Society and is named for Sir Isaac Newton, one of the university's many illustrious sons, whom John's mother claimed as a distant relation.
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (described in his own day as a "natural philosopher") who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and a key figure in the scientific revolution.
His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"), was first published this day, July 5th in 1687, and laid the foundations of classical mechanics.
Between the summer of 1665 and July 5, 1687, there are records of Isaac Newton's communication with other scientists regarding laws of gravitation. He made three important discoveries during the summer of 1665 while Trinity College was shut down because of the plague. These discoveries included calculus, the components of white light, and theories of motion and gravity. According to Newton himself, he observed an apple falling from a tree while he was drinking tea. He realized that the same force which caused the apple to fall also caused the moon to orbit the earth.
Although it has been said that the apple story is a myth and that he did not arrive at his theory of gravity in any single moment, acquaintances of Newton do in fact confirm the incident, and Newton himself often told the story.
Centuries later, gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein and were detected for the first time in September 2015. The latest detection occurred on Jan. 4, 2017. Twin lasers in Louisiana and Washington picked up the faint vibrations of two black holes that were 20 and 30 times more massive than the sun, respectively, before they spiraled toward each other and merged into a larger black hole.
For more about this latest detection of gravitational waves, click the artistic rendering of Isaac Newton below.
See below for a video of the dance performed by The Red Thistle Dancers in 2016.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
