First day cover celebrating Sir Isaac Newton
 Catalogue Number: 2364 First day cover celebrating Sir Isaac Newton Category: Painting or other art work Sub-Category: Philatelic item Government body: British Postal Office (Royal Mail) Year Of Publication/Manufacture: 1987 Time Period: 1940 to 1999 Place Of Publication/Manufacture: England Publisher/Manufacturer: British Postal Office Description Of Item: A first day cover for the issue of four Great Britain stamps commemorating the scientific achievements of Sir Isaac Newton. The denominations are 18 p, 22 p, 31 p and 34 p. The stamps are franked by a commemorative post mark from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich dated March 24 1987. The envelope carries a portrait of Newton demonstrating his experiments with the colour spectrum. Historical Significance: The stamps were issued to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the publication of Newton's Principa Mathematica. This work included his theory of gravity and is illustrated by an apple on the 18p stamp. The 31 p stamp refers to his famous Opticks treatise. Sir Isaac Newton FRS 1642 - 1727 was an English physicist and mathematician who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution. His book Philosophi? Naturalis Principia Mathematica ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"), first published in 1687, laid the foundations for most of classical mechanics. Newton also made seminal contributions to optics and shares credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the invention of the infinitesimal calculus. How Acquired: Purchased by Kett Optometry Museum Date Acquired: Dec 2013 Condition: Fine Location: Archive office. South wall. Cube 14. Stamp Album |