Category : E.Yorks
& Lincs TV
Date : 28.03.2004
Printable version
Sir Isaac
Newton, the scientist who first identified the effects of gravity,
has been named as the greatest ever Lincolnshireman.
He was picked by a panel of judges after hundreds of nominations from
the public were considered during a special 麻豆官网首页入口 North television programme,
Lincolnshire Greats, shown on 麻豆官网首页入口 ONE (East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire)
today (Sunday 28 March).
Newton, the son of a farming family, was born in 1643 at Woolsthorpe,
near Grantham. He died in 1727.
He made revolutionary discoveries in mathematics, optics, physics and
astronomy, and his book Principia, published in 1687, is regarded as
the greatest scientific book ever written.
Broadcaster Nicholas Parsons, chairman of the Lincolnshire Greats
judging panel, said he had no doubt that Newton was the best choice.
He said: "Newton's discoveries have been the basis for much scientific
research. He was quite unique for his time."
The runner-up was John Wesley. Britain's first woman Prime Minister,
Margaret Thatcher, came third.
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The judges sifted through different names nominated
by viewers of Look North, local radio listeners and users of 麻豆官网首页入口i online
sites.
Among those nominated were Alfred Lord Tennyson, astronaut Michael Foale,
Tony Jacklin, Geoff Capes, botanist Sir Joseph Banks, mathematician
George Boole, and conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent.
The final five nominees short-listed by the judges were the "Dambusters"
617 squadron, Margaret Thatcher, Isaac Newton, Alfred Lord Tennyson
and John Wesley.
The judges were Nicholas Parsons, novelist Margaret Dickinson,
broadcaster Alan Hardwick, businesswoman Kate Heath and
journalist Peter Brown.
