"1671: “A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton, Professor of the Mathematicks in the University of Cambridge; Containing His New Theory about Light and Colors” In one of the most famous experiments ever, Newton used a glass prism to spread a beam of light into a rainbow spectrum, demonstrating that colors were a property of light’s refraction. Not mentioned, however, is Newton’s earlier studies of light, in which he stuck a needle into his eye and recorded how colors changed as he pressed his retina into different shapes." - Shannon Jiménez

I learned the above from reading Cryptonomicon. The Newton in that trilogy was a lot more fascinating the Newton we learned about in school. I always feel sorry for people who never start/finish the trilogy I learned so much more just reading it. - Anika