Claude Chappe, 1763 1805. French inventor of the practical semaphore system. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

Jean-Baptiste Armand Louis Lonce lie de Beaumont, 1798 1874. French geologist. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

An aerial telegraph post in the 18th century. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

An electric motor invented by Adolphe Gaiffe (1832-1887). From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

Claude Chappe, 1763 1805. French inventor, seen here demonstrating his first aerial telegraph system in 1791. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac aka Louis Joseph Gay-Lussac, 1778 1850. French chemist and physicist. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published 1870.

lisa Garnerin, 1791 1853. French champion aerial acrobatic artist and parachutist, niece of Andr-Jacques Garnerin. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

Nadar was the pseudonym of Gaspard-Flix Tournachon, 1820 1910. French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, and balloonist. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

Marie Jean Pierre Flourens, 1794 1867. French physiologist, founder of experimental brain science and a pioneer in anesthesia. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

The purported flight of French locksmith Jacob Besnier, with the aid of a self-designed flying apparatus, 1678. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

Unwinding the Dover to Calais submarine cable aboard the Blazer, 25 December 1851. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

The first demonstration in 1774, of the electrical telegraph, invented by Georges-Louis Le Sage. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870

Joseph Lakanal, 1762 1845. French politician. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870