Huyghens, Christian. Born in 1629. Dutch natural philosopher and astronomer. Huyghens was compelled to leave Paris by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. He had been invited to France by Colbert, and during his residence there, visited England and was made Fellow of the Royal Society. He applied the pendulum to clocks, ascertained the laws of collision of elastic bodies, and discovered the rings of Saturn. Huyghens died in 1695.

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