Who discovered gravity before Isaac Newton? Gravity is an invisible force that draws objects toward the center of Earth, causing objects like apples to fall and planets to revolve around each other.
The concept of gravity plays a significant role in shaping the universe, whether walking on Earth or embarking on a space journey.
NASA claims that the phenomenon affects more than 99 percent of the masses in the solar system (NASA Solar System Exploration information).
Even before the story of Isaac Newton's falling apple, scholars had understood gravity's concept.
In this article, know about who discovered Gravity before Isaac Newton, what gravity was called back then, and what losing gravity for 5-secs will be like.
Who Discovered Gravity before Isaac Newton?
The laws of gravitation are attributed to Isaac Newton in 1687; however, people throughout the world recognized them before.
Here is a brief list of some of the early contributors who discovered gravity before Newton:
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Brahmagupta (628 CE): Indian mathematician believed that all objects fall on Earth since it is natural for earth to attract everything, as recorded in Brahmasphutasiddhanta.
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Al-Biruni (11th century): The Arab scientist threw stones from heights, and based on observations came to the conclusion that some gravitational pull was attracting the stones, thus anticipating Newton by six centuries.
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Bhaskaracharya II (12th century): His book named Siddhanta Shiromani defines gravity as the pull of the earth.
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John Philoponus (6th century): Byzantine scientist proposed that falling objects receive "impetus" as an inherent characteristic leading them towards the center of the earth.
Gravity was not discovered by any individual; it is a force that has been continuously developed and perfected. There is evidence of ancient writings from both Indian and Middle Eastern cultures that show how theories have existed long before the Western world came into being.
Read the Quote of the Day Isaac Newton here.
What was Gravity Called Before it was Discovered?
Before Newton's "universal gravitation," gravity had quirky ancient names tied to Earth’s pull.
In Latin terminology, it was called Gravitas (meaning weight/heaviness) was used, with gravis meaning heavy.
In Sanskrit, Brahmagupta used "gurutvakarshan" (Earth's attraction).
Arabs like Al-Biruni called it "jadhb al-arḍ" (Earth's drawing force).
Bhāskara dubbed it "gurutva" (heaviness).
Philoponus spoke of "impetus naturalis" (natural motion).
These terms captured the same idea: Earth sucks things in. No single label stuck until Isaac Newton formalized it.
Early names reflected cultural views—poetic in India, precise in Persia—showing how language shaped science.
What if we Lost Gravity for 5 Seconds?
What if gravity disappeared for only 5 seconds? It would bring Chaos!
The oceans would spurt out like geysers, skyscrapers would collapse because their floors would push against their walls, and you would rise up before falling back down at 9.8 meters per second squared.
Airplanes would fly off course, while objects would shoot up into the air.
Even Earth's rotation could send parts of its equator out into space.
Fortunately, it is impossible; gravity is just too basic. Such an interesting scenario, which was developed based on physics simulations done at research centers such as CERN, helps us understand how important gravity is to stability.
Check: Quote of the Day by Voltaire
Conclusion
The "discoverers" of gravity were the early visionaries such as Brahmagupta and Al-Biruni, whose theories led us closer to Newton's great discovery. It is gravity that binds our universe, whether it is falling fruit or spinning stars. The next time an object slips from your hands, give a salute to these unnamed heroes of science.
