Famous Scientists' Quirks

2026-05-31

"Twere Better If You Were Dead": The Letters Newton Wrote During His Breakdown

In September 1693, at the height of his fame, Isaac Newton wrote two letters accusing his friends Samuel Pepys and John Locke of conspiring against him — including the line "twere better if you were dead." The article reconstructs the episode, examines the two leading explanations (the collapse of his friendship with Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, and chronic mercury poisoning from decades of alchemical work), and traces Newton's recovery and his subsequent transformation into England's most effective counterfeiter hunter.

Famous Scientists' Quirks

The Letter Marie Curie Sent from Hoogstade on September 13, 1915

The Letter Einstein Wrote on August 16, 1912, Before His Equations Were Right

The Violin Einstein Gave Away Before He Fled Germany

The Letter That Told Marie Curie Not to Come

The Counterfeiter Newton Hunted

"I Don't Know Your New Address"

The Letter Einstein Wrote in Five Days

The Shed, the Glow, and the Name

"Twere Better If You Were Dead": The Letters Newton Wrote During His Breakdown

"I Took This from Your Seal": The Day Feynman Broke the Challenger Commission Open

"Don't Read That Hogwash": The Week Einstein Defended Marie Curie