Abstract: The design of the refracting telescope advanced rapidly following its invention in 1608, reaching its modern configuration in about a century. Even though the development of binoculars began almost simultaneously, nearly 300 years elapsed before practical prismatic binoculars became available. The impediments to practical binoculars were not only in optical design, but in mechanical design, manufacturing and materials. This talk will document the history of telescopes and binoculars from an engineering perspective looking at the evolution of basic optical system layout as well as some of the mechanical issues faced. This development will be illuminated using examples from the Museum of Optics at the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. Bio: John Greivenkamp is a professor of optical sciences at the University of Arizona, where he has taught courses in optical engineering since 1991. He is a fellow of SPIE and of the Optical Society (OSA). Greivenkamp is