Peter Mark Roget

Peter Mark Roget was born in London on January 18, 1779. Most famous for compiling the first Thesaurus of English Words in 1852, Peter Roget studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and dedicated much of his life to science. He was one of the founders of the Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, which later became the Royal Society of Medicine. On December 9 1824, Roget presented an idea about the illusion of motion entitled Explanation of an optical deception in the appearance of the spokes of a wheel when seen through vertical apertures. His explanation of the illusion of motion played an important role in the history of film and influenced the development of:  the Thaumatrope, the Phenakistiscope, and the Zoetrope. Roget also wrote numerous papers on physiology and health, and contributed many articles to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Although he had many achievements in his life, he experienced much sadness. Both his father and wife died at a young age, and he witnessed his uncle, Samuel Romilly, commit suicide. Some say that his work on the thesaurus arose partly from an effort to battle depression. Roget retired in 1840 and about eight years later, in 1848, he began preparing for the publication. Known today as the Thesaurus, this work consisted of a catalogue of words organized by their meanings. Although Roget had been working on this compilation since 1805, its first printed edition was in 1852 titled Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition. There were twenty-eight printings during his lifetime. On December 12 1969, while on holiday in West Malvern, Worcestershire, Peter Mark Roget died at the age of 90. He was and is buried there in the cemetery of St James’s Church.

Wikipedia contributors. “Peter Mark Roget.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Nov. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2012.

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