The apple tree in question, a member of the Flower of Kent variety, is a direct descendant of the one that stood in Newton's family's garden in 1666.

Newton showed that if the force decreased as the inverse square of the distance, one could indeed calculate the Moon's orbital period, and get good agreement.

[6][7][8] The story is believed to have passed into popular knowledge after being related by Catherine Barton, Newton's niece, to Voltaire.

[9] Voltaire then wrote in his Essay on Epic Poetry (1727), "Sir Isaac Newton walking in his gardens, had the first thought of his system of gravitation, upon seeing an apple falling from a tree.

[20][1][2] During his stay at the manor in 1665 or 1666, it is believed that Newton observed an apple falling from a tree and began pondering the forces that govern such motion.

[26] The apple tree still exists today at Woolsthorpe Manor, and it is attended by gardeners, secured with a fence, and cared for by National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty.

[22] While there is debate regarding the precise details of the apple tree incident, the story has become deeply ingrained in scientific history and popular culture.

[29][37] As part of the "Pips in Space" research, the seeds floated in microgravity for six months before returning to Earth in 2016 to be raised into young trees.

[38] Winners of a competition to host one of the unique seedlings include the National Physical Laboratory,[39] Jodrell Bank Observatory, and the Eden Project.

These cuttings were planted at Loughborough University as part of an initiative to inspire students to think like Isaac Newton.

[44] Cambridge University Botanic Garden had a clone of Newton's Apple Tree that stood at the Brookside entrance, but it fell during Storm Eunice.

[46] National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg campus in the United States had a clone of Newton's Apple Tree planted.

[51] Between Sir Isaac Newton Library (now known as Tomasso Hall) and the Lunder Admission Center lay descendants of the original apple trees.

[53] From 1997 to 2007, at Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics three endeavours were undertaken to cultivate Newton's Apple Tree saplings brought in by Jayant Narlikar.

[1] For example, in 2016, the sapling planted at the National Research Council Canada (NRC-CNRC) in Ottawa[29] was discovered to be a fake and not even a Flower of Kent.