Source: National Archives & Historic Records of France / Belgium
Science • Historical Archive • 🇧🇪 Belgium • 1 views

Joseph Plateau 🇧🇪

Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau (Known as "Joseph Plateau")
Physicist, Mathematician, Inventor of Phenakistiscope, Cinema Pioneer
Born Oct 14, 1801 🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium
Passed Away Sep 15, 1883 Ghent, Belgium
Lifespan 81 years old
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Notice / Correction
"The eye retains the illusion of movement, linking separate instants into the continuous dance of life."

Archival Overview

Belgian physicist and mathematician who invented the phenakistiscope in 1832, discovering persistence of vision and creating the scientific precursor to modern motion picture cinema.

Biographical Record

Professor of experimental physics at the University of Ghent, Plateau investigated visual perception and physiological optics. In 1829, he stared directly into the noon sun for 25 seconds to study retinal afterimages, which severely damaged his eyesight and eventually caused total blindness in 1843.

Despite blindness, he continued scientific work with his son and son-in-law, inventing the phenakistiscope (stroboscopic moving picture disc) in 1832, and formulating 'Plateau's laws' governing capillary action and minimal surfaces of soap films. The Joseph Plateau Award (Belgian cinema Oscars) is named in his honor.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Campo Santo Cemetery
Sint-Amandsberg (Ghent), Belgium
GPS: 51.0583, 3.7500
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