Plague-Inspired Breakthroughs in Science

The Great Plague of 1665 was the best thing to ever happen to science. When Cambridge University

shut down, a 23-year-old Isaac Newton was sent home. During 18 months

of isolation, he invented calculus, discovered that white light is a mix of all colors,

and even began formulating his theory of universal gravity. This one plague-fueled year of genius laid

the groundwork for modern physics, proving that sometimes the greatest breakthroughs happen in isolation.