Light Touch
Out of the Depths: The Submarine Telescope
In the 1840s, Sarah P. Mather invented an impressive and unusual optical device that could be used to see underwater.
Barnum’s American Museum in New York City. [W. Jeffrey / Wikimedia Commons]
In early November 1842, something new was added to Phineas Taylor Barnum’s American Museum in New York City. The museum had opened on New Year’s Day with an array of novel stuffed animals, dioramas, performers and scientific instruments. The new addition fit into this last category. It was a tank of water four and a half feet deep, with a peculiar brass construction inside.
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