Born in the U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen)

History's Best Selling Products of 1659

1. Magic Lantern

   Released in 1659 by Christiaan Huygens

   In 1659, Dutch physicist and astronomer Christiaan Huygens designed and built the first working prototype of the magic lantern (laterna magica). Developed in The Hague, this early optical projection device utilized a concave mirror, a light source (such as a candle or oil lamp), and painted glass slides to project images onto a screen or wall. Huygens' invention marked the birth of projected media, establishing a foundational technology that would eventually evolve into the modern slide projector, overhead projector, and cinema.