Cats possess an inbuilt gravity mediator (explained in How Cats Work), a sophisticated self-righting apparatus that ensures we always land on our feet, at least in theory, but it was Isaac Newton who worked it out for everyone else.   Belvedere, who has a science brain, will explain more in a future post, but right now we are preparing to celebrate Newton’s birthday.

Two Birthdays

Isaac Newton was born 25th December, 1642. Christmas Day. Bit of a downer as all Christmas Day babies find out, as you only get one lots of presents. 

However, Newton was born at a time when the known world’s Operating System was being upgraded. The Gregorian Calendar was launched in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII  to clear up some miscalculations about Leap Years. It replaced the Julian Calender. And with upgrades come glitches. In this case, extra 10 days no one could deal with. So they deleted them.  

There was a bit of a crossover and  both calendars were used for a century or so. Great Britain did not fully embrace the Gregorian system until 1752. So Newton was born on 25 December (Old Style) OR January 4 1643 (New Style). (It is very lucky he was born a mathematical genius, was it not. ) We will be celebrating that one as well.

The Catflap

While he was theorising on gravity, formulated laws on thermodynamics and motion, and sticking needles into his eye to test his theory of optics, Newton worked with a feline colleague named Spithead. (She was head of administration). It is claimed that he invented the catflap for her, by cutting a Spithead-sized hole in his office door. Towering genius and original thinker though he was, Belvedere and I suspect it unlikely that no-one had thought of this before; they just had not been famous enough to be noticed.  

For more about Spithead, Newton and other cats of 

science see Clowder Press’s upcoming Scientific Cats .