Isaac Newton had duly become a famous name for his mathematical and scientific talent. From simple folk to gentry all knew his genius. Even the politics of that period could not ignore the scientific phenomenon and his contribution to the advancement of science. He was nominated to the British Parliament twice. He served as the member of parliament from 1689 to 1690 for the first time and then again in 1701. By nature being word shy he did not make any significant speech in the house. His only contribution came as a suggestion that was documented which pointed out that the chamber had become very cold and hence the windows needed be shut. It has already been revealed that in 1696 he was made warden of the Royal Mint. In the beginning the appointment had come to him under the patronage of the First Earl of Halifax. In 1699 the chief of the mint Mr. Lucas died and Newton was promoted to take charge of the top job as he had shown his merit by exposing the forgers and counterfeiters who were doing a lot of damage to the currency. Coin forging stopped and Newton got recognized as a strict administrator.
He served on the post till his death which showed his commitment to the Royal Mint. In 1717 he worked out a comparative evaluation of system of Pound Sterling. It showed how much a gold coin was worth in silver coins. It was not an easy task. Then souverigns were called ‘Gold Coins’ and silver coins ‘Pennies’ as ordered by Queen Annie. Thus, Newton was responsible for making British currency a greatly honoured and trusted form of money.
In 1705 Isaac Newton was decorated with the title of Kinghthood. It was not bestowed on him for his works in mathematics, science and philosophy. He was knighted for his services to the Royal Mint. It sounds very strange that the father of physics was made a Knight not for his incredible contribution to science but for his services to the Royal Mint. If any modern day student was asked why Newton was knighted every student would say naturally that it was for the Principle of Motion and Law of Gravity but how wrong he or she would be!
