Isaac Newton made major scientific contributions to the understanding of physics, particularly through his formulation of the laws of motion and universal gravitation. His landmark work, "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica," published in 1687, laid the foundation for classical mechanics. Newton's principles described how objects move and interact, significantly influencing the fields of astronomy and engineering. His discoveries reshaped scientific methodology and established a framework that remains essential in physics education today.