July 5 1687 – 5 Av 5447
Sir Isaac Newton published his three-volume Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, turning the entire field of contemporary physics on its head. Documents from Newton’s personal archive, bequeathed to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, reveal that among the great scientist’s many areas of interest were calculations of the “end of days” based on the biblical book of Daniel (not before 2060), the dimensions of the Temple in Jerusalem as a model of the works of creation (including detailed diagrams) and interpretations of biblical prophecies suggesting that the Jews would return from exile and establish a new, everlasting kingdom.