Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788-1827), was a French engineer who contributed significantly to the establishment of the theory of wave optics. Fresnel studied the behavior of light both theoretically and experimentally. He is perhaps best known as the inventor of the Fresnel lens, first adopted in lighthouses while he was a French commissioner of lighthouses, and found in many applications today. His is one of the 72 names of scientists inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.