Isaac Newton developed his theories on gravity and motion while in quarantine during the Great Plague.

In the summer of 1665, the Great Plague of London forced the University of Cambridge to shut its doors, sending students home to avoid the deadly outbreak. Isaac Newton returned to Woolsthorpe Manor, his family estate in Lincolnshire, where he remained until 1667. This period is scientifically referred to as his 'Annus Mirabilis' or Year of Wonders because of the sheer volume of breakthroughs he achieved in total solitude.During these eighteen months, Newton laid the mathematical foundations for modern science by developing 'fluxions,' the early form of calculus. He also conducted experiments with prisms in his darkened room, proving that white light is composed of a spectrum of colors. This work eventually led to his 'Opticks,' which revolutionized the field of physics and our understanding of light and color.The most famous event of this period was Newton's observation of an apple falling from a tree in the Woolsthorpe garden. While the apple didn't hit him on the head, the event prompted him to wonder why it fell straight down rather than sideways or upward. He realized that the same force pulling the apple to the ground was responsible for keeping the Moon in orbit around the Earth.Newton eventually published these findings in his 1687 masterpiece, 'Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.' This book established the three laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation, which remained the dominant scientific viewpoint for over two centuries. Historians at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Society continue to cite this quarantine period as perhaps the most significant era of individual scientific discovery in history.