Joseph von Fraunhofer

When Fraunhofer became an orphan at the age of 11, he started working at a company for optical instruments.

He invented the spectroscope in 1814 and was the first to investigate seriously the absorption lines in the solar spectrum that were ultimately explained by Kirchhoff and Bunsen in 1859. These lines are still sometimes called Fraunhofer lines in his honour.

See also : Fraunhofer society

External links : http://www.hao.ucar.edu/public/education/sp/images/fraunhofer.html