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When Fraunhofer became an orphan at the age of 11, he started working at a company for optical instruments.
In 1801 the workshop in which he was working collapsed and he was buried in the rubble. The rescue operation was led by Maximilian IV Joseph, Prince Elector of Bavaria (the future Maximilian I Joseph). The prince entered Fraunhofer's life, providing him with books and forcing his employer to allow the young Fraunhofer time to study.
He invented the spectroscope in 1814 and was the first to investigate seriously the absorption lines in the solar spectrum that were ultimately explained by Kirchhoff and Bunsen in 1859Events January 2 Erastus Beadle publishes The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette''. February 14 Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U. February 16 George Washington Gale Ferris Jr born February 16, 1859 Galesburg, Knox, IL March 26 French amateur astronomer clai. These lines are still sometimes called Fraunhofer lineIn physics and optics, the Fraunhofer lines are a set of spectral lines named for the German physicist Joseph von Fraunhofer ( 1787 1826). The lines were originally observed as dark features in the optical spectrum of the Sun. The English chemist Williams in his honour.