Isaac Newton was born prematurely in the hamlet of Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. His father, also named Isaac Newton, had died three months prior. His mother, Hannah Ayscough Newton, remarried when he was three years old, leaving him in the care of his maternal grandmother.

Newton began his formal education at the King's School in Grantham. Initially, he was not a particularly outstanding student, showing more interest in building mechanical devices and observing nature. He boarded with the local apothecary, William Clarke, an environment that might have sparked his later interest in chemistry.

Newton was briefly withdrawn from school to manage the family estate after his stepfather's death and his mother's return to Woolsthorpe. However, he proved unsuited for farming, and his uncle, William Ayscough (a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge), recognized his intellectual potential and persuaded his mother to allow him to return to school.

Newton matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, as a sizar – a student who performed menial tasks in exchange for reduced fees. He studied the standard curriculum, but was also drawn to the 'new philosophy' of thinkers like René Descartes, Pierre Gassendi, and Johannes Kepler.

Newton's academic performance improved, and he was elected a Scholar at Trinity College, a significant achievement that provided him with financial support and greater academic opportunities.

During the Great Plague, Cambridge University was closed, and Newton retreated to Woolsthorpe. This period proved extraordinarily productive. He made groundbreaking progress in calculus, optics, and the law of universal gravitation. This period is often considered the most crucial in the development of his fundamental theories.