Though one of the most brilliant scientists in history, Christiaan Huygens enjoyed relatively little fame during his lifetime--primarily because he worked during the period directly after the death of Galileo and just before the ascent of Isaac Newton. Although his work went unregarded for many years after his death, he is today held as one of the chief contributors to the modern sciences of mechanics, physics, and astronomy.

Huygens was born in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1629. The environment in which he was raised was ideal for the nurturing of young minds: his father, Constantijn Huygens, was a diplomat and poet who understood the need for classical training, and he planned for his son a private education in mathematics, languages, literature, and music. Young Christiaan was also influenced by the mathematician-philosopher René Descartes, a friend of the Huygens family and frequent visitor to their home. Huygens learned about...