Robert Hooke was born on July 18th, 1635 in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England. His father, John Hooke, was a clergyman. As a child Hooke became ill of smallpox, of which he survived from, only to be disfigured and scarred. Throughout his childhood, Robert never really received much of any regular schooling due to his sickness and weakness. On the other hand he had an amazing natural curiosity, which led to the development of his mind through self-learning. When Robert was merely thirteen years old his father committed suicide by hanging himself. All that was left behind for Robert was 40 pounds. After his father died, Hooke was sent to London as an orphan, where he studied under Peter Lely, an artist of the time. He soon realized that he should spend his inheritance attending Westminster School, where he lodged with Dr. Richard Rusby. Robert had a large interest in mechanical objects and was encouraged greatly by Dr. Busby. Within the first week of being with Dr. Busby, Hooke was able to work through many books of Euclid's geometry. He was soon allowed unsupervised access to Dr. Busby's library. When Robert was eighteen he moved on and attended Oxford, where he soon after obtained his masters degree. Once he secured the sponsorship and guidance of John Wilkins, the warden of Wadham College, he was well on his way to become one of the greatest inventors, microscopists, physicists, surveyors, astronomers, biologists, artists, etc...