History of the Speed of Light By oliver.yell 1676 First Ever Measurement of the Speed of Light 1742 James Bradly's Measurement of the Speed of Light 1851 Hyppolyte Louis Fizeau's Measurement of the Speed of Light 1861 James Maxwell's Theory of the Speed of Electromagnetic Waves 1862 Leon Faucault's Measurement of the Speed of Light 1983 The Metre is Redefined by the Speed of Light