Hans Lippershey, Zacharias Janssen, and Jacob Metius are credited with inventing the first telescopes around 1608. However, Galileo Galilei quickly built his own versions, significantly improving the magnification and clarity, and turned his telescope towards the sky in 1609, making groundbreaking astronomical discoveries (like the moons of Jupiter, phases of Venus, and sunspots). In the context of popular science history, Galileo is often associated strongly with the invention and popularization of the telescope for scientific use.