Short answers, pulled from the story.
Perspective is a form of graphical projection where the projection lines converge to one or more points. This technique creates linear or point-projection perspective, which serves as an approximate representation on a flat surface of how an image appears to the human eye.
Systematic attempts to evolve a system of perspective began around the fifth century BC in ancient Greece. Aristotle detailed this development within his Poetics as skenographia while philosophers Anaxagoras and Democritus worked out geometric theories for use with it.
Filippo Brunelleschi conducted experiments between 1415 and 1420 drawing various Florentine buildings in correct perspective. He demonstrated discovery by having people look through a hole on his painting from backside to compare against actual building via mirror reflection.
Masolino da Panicale created St. Peter Healing a Cripple and Raising of Tabitha as earliest extant artwork with consistent vanishing point. Masaccio achieved illusionistic effect placing vanishing point at viewer eye level in Holy Trinity fresco.
Zeeman's Paradox refers to how perspective normally looks correct unless observer stands far to side. This phenomenon occurs because human eye processes visual information differently than mathematical projection requires.