Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity, revolutionized optics and co-invented calculus, but as a teenager he saw himself as a sinner.
Brain Pickings found a list of confessions that the pious genius wrote at age 19, and it's equal parts endearing and disturbing. On the one hand, the lifelong virgin seemed to be worried about every little thing, including "Making pies on Thy day." But there's a darker side to these private confessions as well, including the fact that he admits to "Striking many" and "Punching my sister."
The confessions were digitized as part of The Newton Project, an ambitious attempt to make accessible all of Newton's writings, from the groundbreaking math that made him famous to the alchemy and mysticism of his later years. It's a vast trove, so don't be surprised if we share more interesting stuff from the writings of the man many consider the world's greatest scientist.
