Before Fresnel s invention, lighthouses used mirrors to reflect the light. These lights could be seen at only short distances and hardly at all during foggy or stormy days. Lighthouses with Fresnel s lenses have saved many ships from going aground or crashing into rocky coasts. Lighthouses have always fascinated people. There are a number of books depicting the colorful history of lighthouses.
Students can research the history of nearby lighthouses or historic lighthouses.
This book is a compilation of the adventures of some of the 250 women who have served as lighthouse keepers in America. This fast-paced adventure tells a story about shipwrecks, pirates, kidnapping, mystery and ghosts and courage. The story is historically based upon a community on the coast of Cornwall, England during the early 19th century. Wreckers used lights to lure ships to crash on their rocky shores and lived on the loot salvaged from the wreckage. A wreckers museum exists there and there are many documented stories about how the area was settled.