# David Brewster

> He bent light until it told the truth — discovered the angle at which reflection becomes polarized, invented the kaleidoscope, and built the first portable stereoscope. William Whewell called him the "Johannes Kepler of optics."

*Scottish astronomer and mathematician (1781–1868)*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/david-brewster

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Scientist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q39631))
- **Category:** Scientists
- **Country:** United Kingdom
- **Born:** 1781-12-11
- **Died:** 1868-02-10
- **Status:** deceased
- **Gender:** male

## Bio

Born in Scotland in 1781, Brewster spent decades at the bench studying how light behaves under pressure, through crystals, in polarized states. He discovered Brewster's angle and founded optical mineralogy by watching crystals compress. The kaleidoscope and the lenticular stereoscope — the first handheld 3D viewer — both came from his workshop, along with lighthouse illuminators and two kinds of polarimeters. A devout Presbyterian, he marched in the Disruption of 1843 that birthed the Free Church of Scotland. He worshipped Isaac Newton, published a major biography in 1831, and became the first scholar to dig through Newton's unpublished papers. He edited the 18-volume Edinburgh Encyclopædia, co-founded the British Science Association, and led it in 1849. He spent his final three decades running universities — St Andrews, then Edinburgh — and died in 1868 as the public face of Scottish higher learning.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 54.1 / 100
- **Momentum:** 0.0 / 100  (trend: STABLE)
- **Historical depth:** 23.2 / 100
- **Now attention:** 2.3 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 60.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 70.0 / 100

## Topics
#Scientists, #Scientist, #Physics, #Mathematics, #Astronomy, #Philosophy, #Literature, #Law

## Sources
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q168468)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/David%20Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [دیوید بروستر](https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1)
- [David Brüster](https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Br%C3%BCster)
- [Дейвид Брюстер](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4_%D0%91%D1%80%D1%8E%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80)
- [ডেভিড ব্রুস্টার](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%A1%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A1_%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0)
- [David Brewster](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [دیوید بروستر](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1)
- [David Brewster](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [דייוויד ברוסטר](https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%93%D7%99%D7%99%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99%D7%93_%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%A8)
- [David Brewster](https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://ht.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [David Brewster](https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [Դեյվիդ Բրյուսթեր](https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%B4%D5%A5%D5%B5%D5%BE%D5%AB%D5%A4_%D4%B2%D6%80%D5%B5%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%BD%D5%A9%D5%A5%D6%80)
- [Wikiquote](https://bn.wikiquote.org/wiki/%E0%A6%A1%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A1_%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0)
- [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Brewster)
- [ديفيد بروستر](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1)
- [ديفيد بروستر](https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1)

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