Isaac Newton Isaac Newton was born prematurely, on Christmas day 1642, in a small English town called Woolsthorpe. His father was a farmer, but died shortly after Isaac was born. Isaac's mother remarried 3 years later, but his stepfather died when Isaac was 14. Newton was sent to school at the age of 12, at the King's School, near Grantham. At first, Newton was a poor student. He was at the bottom of his class. He cared more about painting, making kites, and inventing toys. Amazingly, one day, a big bad bully gave him a hard kick. The little dreamy boy flew into a mad rage, and beat the other boy thoroughly. Yet that didn't satisfy him enough. He wanted to beat the other kid in school work, to