Newton: The Politician Behind the Genius

Newton was born on Christmas Day 1642, so weak they thought he'd die within

hours. He survived, became the greatest mind in science, then died in 1727

from kidney failure after refusing surgery. But here's what matters. He wasn't knighted

for gravity or calculus. Queen Anne knighted him in 1705 because he ran the Royal Mint and saved England's

collapsing economy. Newton hunted counterfeiters like a detective, personally interrogating criminals and sending

them to execution. He reformed the entire monetary system when clipped coins nearly destroyed

trade. The knighthood was political. Anne needed Parliament's support,

and Newton's reputation gave her leverage. He was the first scientist ever knighted, but the ceremony