The Lighthouse Keeper Who Improved the Light

In 1916, a lighthouse keeper named Amos Holbrook at Point Reyes, California, grew dissatisfied with the old Fresnel lens that had guided ships safely through the fog for decades. He considered himself forward-thinking. The lens was outdated, he reasoned, and he began experimenting with his own arrangement of mirrors and lanterns — something more modern, more advanced. For three nights, Amos ran his improvised system while the original lens sat dark.…