spectacle maker from the United Netherlands, traditionally credited with inventing the telescope (1608).

On Oct. 2, 1608, he formally offered his invention, which he called a kijker (“looker”), to the Estates of Holland for use in warfare. The Estates granted him 900 florins for the instrument but required its modification into a binocular device. His telescopes were made available to Henry IV of France and others before the end of 1608. The potential importance of the instrument in astronomy was recognized by, among others, Jacques Bovedere of Paris; he reported the invention to Galileo, who promptly built his own telescope.