Anyone who has taken a science class is familiar with the work of John Dalton. The British chemist and physicist developed the theory that all elements are composed of atoms that are identical in size and weight. Another of Dalton's accomplishments was to give the first description of color blindness. On this date in 1794, Dalton read a paper identifying the condition that he himself had inherited. Color vision deficiency, a hereditary optical disease usually passed to males, often causes problems distinguishing among certain colors, usually reds and greens.

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