François Arago
French mathematician, physicist, astronomer and politician (1786-1853)
Dominique François Jean Arago (Catalan: Domènec Francesc Joan Aragó), known simply as François Arago (French: [fʁɑ̃swa aʁaɡo]; Catalan: Francesc Aragó, IPA: [fɾənˈsɛsk əɾəˈɣo]; 26 February 1786 – 2 October 1853), was a French mathematician, physicist, astronomer, freemason, supporter of the Carbonari revolutionaries, and politician.
In physics, he is known for helping establishing the wave theory of light. The Arago spot, an important experiment in optics that demonstrated this phenomenon, is named after him.
Early life and work
Arago was born at Estagel, a small village of 3,000 near Perpignan, in the département of Pyrénées-Orientales, France, where his father held the position of Treasurer of the Mint. His parents were François Bonaventure Arago (1754–1814) and Marie Arago (1755–1845).
Arago was the eldest of six brothers. Jean (1788–1836) emigrated to North America and became a general in the Mexican army. Jacques (1790–1854) took part in Louis de Freycinet's exploring voyage in the Uranie from 1817 to 1821, and on his return to France devoted himself to his journalism and the drama. Victor (1792–1867) was a French soldier. Joseph (1796–1860) became a soldier in the Mexican army.
“François Arago” enters the record as french mathematician, physicist, astronomer and politician (1786-1853). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what François, Arago and French can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q154353. VIAF identifies the subject as 64023378. The Library of Congress control number is n50052497. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1786, 1853, 1754 and 1814.
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This entry incorporates text from “François Arago” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.