An English physicist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was one of the most influential scientists of his time. His works laid the foundations for most of classical mechanics, and he also made contributions to optics. Today, he most known for having formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation, which was to dominate the scientific view of the physical universe for three centuries. Newton was born on Christmas Day, according to the Julian calendar in use in England at the time. His father had died three months before his birth, and his mother remarried when Isaac was three, leaving him in the care of his maternal grandmother. Between the ages of twelve and seventeen, he was educated at The King's School, Grantham. He was removed from school by his mother, who attempted to make a farmer out of him. He hated farming, and was eventually permitted to continue his education. He never married.