Robert Hooke: The Genius Newton Tried To Erase From History
The English Leonardo da Vinci
Newton, Einstein, Hawking, Curie. Names like these immediately conjure images of towering geniuses who changed the world in ways that we today can scarcely comprehend, since so much of our modern understanding of science is based on their work and their discoveries.
But outside scientific circles, one man has largely been ignored by history, despite being adept at a great many disciplines and at the forefront of many scientific, cultural and historical events. That man is, of course, Robert Hooke, a man known as the English Leonardo da Vinci.
Humble Beginnings
Born into a middle-class family on the Isle of Wight on July 28th, 1635, young Robert Hooke was a sickly child, frequently kept out of school (1). His father, an Anglican curate, encouraged Robert’s passion for drawing detailed diagrams and designs. He died in 1648, when Robert was just 13 years old, but bequeathed him £40 (a substantial sum at the time).
Through this inheritance, his intellect, as well as numerous scholarships and bursaries, Hooke was able to…
