The trench periscope was originally created in 1917 by Lance Corporal William Beech . It was made out of a rectangular piece of wood painted black with 2 mirrors inside .
This device allowed a soldier standing in a trench to take accurate aim and fire without exposing himself to the enemy . The trench periscope also allowed soldiers to see people and things from a long distance . Some periscopes are made for submarines to view what is going on outside . Periscope is the combination of 2 greek words . The words “ peri ” and “ scopus ” imply “ around ” and “ to gaze ”. As a result , a periscope may rotate in circular motions to observe objects above water ’ s surface or ground ’ s surface .