A D V E N T U R E S in C Y B E R S O U N DDavid Brewster, Sir : 1781 - 1868
Physicist David Brewster was born in Jedburgh Scotland in 1781. He became editor of the 'Edinburgh Magazine' in 1802 and the 'Edinburgh Encyclopedia' in 1808. In 1816 he invented the kaleidoscope and later he improved on Charles Wheatstone's Stereoscope by adding refracting lenses and in 1818 was awarded the Rumford Gold and Silver medals for discoveries on the polarization of light. In 1819 The Edinburgh Philosophical Journal took the place of the Magazine and in 1831 was one of chief originators of the British Association. In 1838 he was appointed Princpal of St. Salvator and St. Leonard's St. Andrews and in 1859, principal of Edinburgh University
The word Kaleidoscope comes from three Greek words meaning "beautiful form to see". In 1816, Sir David Brewster created the kaleidoscope. Although Brewster had a patent on his invention, the patent registration was faulty and other entrepreneurs sold thousands, leaving Brewster with the fame of inventing the kaleidoscope, but not the financial success. The scope was extremely popular in Europe and the United States during the 1800's.
David Brewster, (b. Dec. 11, 1781, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scot.--d. Feb. 10, 1868, Allerby, Melrose, Roxburghshire), Scottish physicist noted for his experimental work in optics and polarized light--i.e., light in which all waves lie in the same plane. When light strikes a reflective surface at a certain angle (called the polarizing angle), the reflected light becomes completely polarized. Brewster discovered a simple mathematical relationship between the polarizing angle and the refractive index of the reflective substance. This law is useful in determining the refractive index of materials that are opaque or available only in small samples. Brewster was educated for the ministry at the University of Edinburgh, but his interest in science deflected him from pursuing this profession. In 1799 he began his investigations of light. His most important studies involved polarization, metallic reflection, and light absorption. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1815, and he invented the kaleidoscope the following year. He was knighted in 1831. In the early 1840s he improved the stereoscope by utilizing lenses to combine the two dissimilar binocular pictures and produce the three-dimensional effect. Brewster was instrumental in persuading the British to adopt the lightweight, flat Fresnel lens for use in lighthouses. In 1838 he became principal of the United College of St. Salvator and St. Leonard of the University of St. Andrews and in 1859 became principal of the University of Edinburgh. Of Brewster's numerous published works, his Treatise on Optics (1831) and Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton (1855) are probably the most important.
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