How Isaac Newton Turned Isolation From the Great Plague Into a "Year of Wonders" | Kerry McDonald

During the bubonic plague in 1665, Newton was among the students forced to return home from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Away from university life, curriculum constraints, and professors to guide him, Newton seemed to thrive. At home, he built bookshelves and created a small office for himself. Free from distractions, Newton discovered differential and integral calculus, formulated a theory of universal gravitation, and explored optics.

Isaac Newton mentioned that during his isolation days, he was in the prime for his age for invention and focused on Mathematics and Philosophy more than any other time.

His forced time away from university life allowed his creativity to flourish. The discoveries he made during his time of social distancing would form the foundation of his career for years to come.