On This Day In History: Sir Christopher Wren – Famous English Architect Was Born – On Oct 20, 1632

AncientPages.com - On October 20, 1632, Sir Christopher Wren - one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history - was born.

He was a man of considerable scientific abilities. He was regarded as the most influential British architect of all time and a notable anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist.

Christopher Wren by Godfrey Kneller 1711. Sir Christopher Wren was the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London - Public Domain

He was a founder of the Royal Society (president 1680–82), and Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal highly appreciated his scientific work.

He showed an early talent for mathematics and enjoyed inventing things. At  13, he developed an astronomical instrument, a pneumatic engine, and an instrument for writing in the dark. While at Oxford, he had plans for a tool to measure angles, a “weather wheel,” a weather clock, an instrument to write double, a surveying instrument, and a new engine to raise water.

In 1657, Wren was appointed professor of astronomy at Gresham College in London and, four years later, professor of astronomy at Oxford. He focused on astronomy, physics, and anatomy, developed a micrometer, attached telescopic sights to telescopes, and invented a double-hinged telescope for measuring angles. He experimented with submarine design, road paving, and the design of telescopes and was the most significant English architect of his time.

Read more in our article:

Sir Christopher Wren – Genius Mind Of Most Influential British Architect Of All Time

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