In August 1684 a handsome young astronomer named Edmond Halley boarded the London coach ... Over the years, Newton became the very model of the absent-minded professor. He ate little and often ...

"The extension of our model to future years predicts ... This famous comet has been observed since at least 240 BC, but it was Edmond Halley who first predicted its periodic return in 1705.

Long before computers, Edmund Halley used an early form of big data to analyze weather patterns. In 1686, he compiled extensive ship logs, mapping global trade winds and monsoons.