Happy Birthday April 14

Dutch physicist, mathematician, and astronomer Christiaan Huygens was born on April 14, 1629 in The Hague, into a rich and influential Dutch family, Huygens made groundbreaking contributions in optics developing a simple 2-lens ocular system that was achromatically corrected, and therefore a huge step forward in microscope development. He also propounded the wave theory of light, which he described in 1690 in his Traite de la Lumiere

Christiaan Huygens by Caspar Netscher,

As an astronomer, Huygens is chiefly known for his studies of the rings of Saturn and the discovery of its moon Titan. As an inventor, his friend Galileo's work enabled him to construct the first pendulum clock in 1656 and he also he improved the design of telescopes. 

For more April 14 anniversaries, including the publication of John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath, the opening of the first ever commercial motion picture house, and the abduction of 276 schoolgirls by Islamists Boko Haram, check out OnThatDay.