Ibn al-Haytham

About Ibn al-Haytham

Ibn al-Haytham, a foundational figure in the history of optics and physics (ranking #796 in overall historical importance), was a pioneering Arab scholar who lived from 965 to 1039 CE. His most significant contribution was his rigorous scientific methodology and his work on the *Book of Optics*, where he correctly demonstrated that vision occurs when light reflects off an object and enters the eye, a concept that overturned centuries of Greek theory. He is widely regarded as the true father of the modern scientific method, centuries before its formal adoption in the West.

In the context of modern internet attention, Ibn al-Haytham receives roughly 316K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This level of attention represents an Attention Gap of approximately 1x relative to his historical importance, suggesting his cultural footprint is largely proportional to his ranking. For contrast, James Clerk Maxwell, a physicist ranked slightly lower at #881, commands a greater presence with 534K views, while the highly influential Albert A. Michelson (#471) receives far less attention at just 80K views.

Despite achieving near-parity with his HPI rank, his viewership is showing a slight decline year-over-year, down 8.1%. However, his recent momentum shows a modest 4% increase between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, indicating perhaps a slow re-emergence in contemporary online discourse.