Light has been reflecting since the sun first began to shine. Reflected light is why the moon is visible. And who saw their reflection first in a pool of still water, no one knows for certain. The principle at work in kaleidoscopes was first recorded by the Greek mathematician Ptolemy, living in Alexandria, Egypt, around 130 A.D. It was he who described two polished surfaces opposite each other that produced multiple images, not two simple reflections. Centuries passed. Glass mirrors became available and Ptolemy¬s observations were applied in various ways. Perhaps the most spectacular example is the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. In 1816, Sir David Brewster of Scotland published a book that detailed the mathematics that explains what happens when light passes through angled mirrors. It is because of his work that we enjoy the kaleidoscope as we now know it.   Cannot connect to the database.