Image: Grabhouse

2. Sir Isaac Newton

Image: History.com

Considered to be the founder of modern physics, Sir Isaac Newton was a British astronomer, physicist, and mathematician. Newton was obsessed with the theory of color and prisms. He studied the decomposition of white light into the colors of the visible spectrum and wanted to know more regarding how the human eye interpreted color.

While studying optics, Newton was disturbed by the fact that some people saw strange colored spots in front of their eyes and not all of the colors were consistent. It posed the question of whether or not color was influenced by the eye. In order to find out, Newton stuck a needle between his eyelid and eye, slipping the needle behind the eye. He then documented that the light and dark spots only appeared when he moved the needle and disappeared when he kept it still. Well, that’s one way to get your answer.