Name the scientist who first proposed the wave theory of light.

The wave theory of light was first proposed by the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens in the 17th century. In 1678, Huygens suggested that light travels in the form of waves, much like ripples on the surface of water. He formulated what is known as Huygens’ Principle, which states that every point on a wavefront of light can be considered a source of secondary wavelets. These wavelets spread out in all directions, and the new wavefront is the surface formed by the combination of all these wavelets.