Juan Roget facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan Roget
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Juan Roget (born around 1550 in Angoulême, France – died between 1617 and 1624, possibly in Aveyron, France) was a skilled maker of eyeglasses in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Some historians believe he might have invented the telescope even before others were given credit for it.
Contents
Who Was Juan Roget?
Early Life and Work
Juan Roget was born in Angoulême, France. His father, Ramón Roget, worked with cloth. Juan later moved to Girona, a city in Catalonia, Spain, where he became a master at making eyeglasses. He was married to Joana of Malaville, France.
Juan's brother, Pere Roget, was also an eyeglass maker and lived in Barcelona. Pere's two children also became master eyeglass makers, showing that making glasses was a family business! Joana Roget, Juan's wife, passed away on August 7, 1614. We don't have a record of Juan Roget's exact death date, but it was likely between 1617 and 1624.
The Telescope Mystery
Was Roget the First to Invent the Telescope?
For a long time, the invention of the telescope was credited to Hans Lipperhey in October 1608. However, in 1959, a historian named Simón de Guilleuma suggested that Juan Roget might have invented it earlier.
Guilleuma found clues in a book from 1618 called "Telescopium." In this book, the Italian author Girolamo Sirtori described meeting an old eyeglass maker named "Roget" in Girona in 1609. This "Roget" claimed to have invented the telescope! Simón de Guilleuma believed this was Juan Roget. He found records of a "Roget" family of eyeglass makers, which supported his idea.
More Evidence for Roget
In 1979, Dr. Lopez Piñero wrote a book that further supported the claim for Roget. He explained that "long-range glasses" were made in Roget's workshops before 1593.
One important piece of evidence was found in a will from 1593 in Barcelona. A wealthy man named Pedro de Cardona left his wife a "long eyeglass decorated with brass." The description of this item, including its optics and length (about twenty centimeters), sounds a lot like an early telescope.
A few years later, other similar devices were found among the belongings of merchants in Barcelona. For example, Jaume Galvany had an "eyeglass/telescope for long sight" that was sold in 1608. Another merchant, Honorato Graner, who died in 1613, owned a "tin telescope for viewing the moon."
Writer Nick Pelling also looked into this claim in 2008. He thought it was possible that the Dutch inventors, like Lipperhey, might have copied Roget's design. Pelling noted that the 1608 mention of an "eyeglass/telescope for long sight" sounds very much like a telescope made by Roget.
So, while Hans Lipperhey is often credited, there's a fascinating mystery that suggests Juan Roget might have been the true inventor of the telescope!
See also
