Light and Telescopes
One of the first people to study light was Ibn al-Haytham (known as Alhazen). He was a Muslim, living in Egypt in the early 11th Century. Alhazen is first person we know of who used the scientific method. He wanted to know why our eyes could see things.
Hans Lipperhey (also spelt Lippershey) was the first person to write down a design for a telescope. He made spectacles for a living, and in 1608 he applied for a patent for his new tool. He said it was "for seeing things far away as if they were nearby". Hans did not get the patent because other people were making similar tools. But, Hans was paid for his design. The first telescopes, known as Dutch Telescopes, contained both a convex and a concave lens.