Kaleidoscope
Caleidoscopio
- Date
- 1816 · confidence high
- Place
- Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- David Brewster
- Field
- Communication
What it is
While researching the polarization of light, Brewster found that mirrors angled inside a tube, with loose pieces of colored glass at one end, produced symmetrical patterns when the tube was turned. He patented the 'kaleidoscope' in 1817, though the design was copied so quickly that he profited little from it.
Brewster described an early version in 1815 but did not patent it until 1817; by then unauthorized copies were already being made.
What it led to
- A mass popular fad for the kaleidoscope across Europe and the US
- Use as a design tool for textile and ornamental patterns
- An optical toy that inspired later symmetry-based visual devices