Astronomer Edmond Halley persuaded Newton to expand his studies. Halley was the driving force behind the publication. He acted as a critic as well as supporter for this work.
Edmond Halley even convinced Newton to allow him to edit the Principia. Halley covered the various expenses, corrected the proofs himself, and ultimately got Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica printed in 1687.
Newton was famously reluctant to publish his works. Without Edmond Halley’s compulsion to publish Principia, Newton may have never become an outstanding figure in the history of science.
Newton would probably be known only for his mathematics and optics, and remain a relatively obscure professor in Cambridge.
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