Science · Technology · 1629–1695
Born: 14 April 1629 · Died: 8 July 1695 · Age at death: 66
Christiaan Huygens died aged 66. He was born on 14 April 1629 and died on 8 July 1695.
Dutch scientist who discovered Saturn's moon Titan, explained its rings, invented the pendulum clock and proposed the wave theory of light
Did you know?He invented the pendulum clock, which significantly improved timekeeping accuracy for several centuries.
Christiaan Huygens was one of the greatest scientists of the 17th century. Using telescopes he helped to build himself, he discovered Titan, Saturn's largest moon, in 1655. He was the first to explain that Saturn is surrounded by a thin, flat ring. He invented the pendulum clock, which made timekeeping far more accurate. He proposed that light travels as a wave, an idea later proved right. He also wrote one of the first books on probability. He worked in Paris for years as a leading member of the French Academy of Sciences.
Christiaan Huygens, Lord of Zeelhem (14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor who is regarded as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution.
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Profile
Dutch scientist, 1629–1695
Christiaan Huygens was born in The Hague on 14 April 1629.
He discovered Titan in 1655.
He built the first pendulum clock in 1656.
He published Treatise on Light in 1690.
Career highlights
Did you know?The European probe that landed on Titan in 2005 was named after him.
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