Dark Energy is currently one of the biggest mysteries in science. In this article the origin of the concept is traced as far back as Newton and Hooke in the seventeenth century. Newton considered, along with the inverse square law, a force of attract
ion that varies linearly with distance. A direct link can be made between this term and Einsteins cosmological constant, Lambda, and this leads to a possible relation between Lambda and the total mass of the universe. Machs influence on Einstein is discussed and the convoluted history of Lambda throughout the last ninety years is coherently presented.
