Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft, Netherlands on October 24, 1632. He was a self-taught scientist who was one of the first to observe bacteria and protozoa.
Leeuwenhoek designed hundreds of microscopes. They were similar in design and function; each was small, approximately two inches long and one inch across. The microscopes consisted of a single high-quality lens of very short focal length. With his microscopes, he was able to describe protozoa, bacteria, spirochetes, Giardia, parthenogenesis (in aphids), budding in Hydra, cross-striations of voluntary muscle, the histology of teeth, bone corpuscles, and capillaries.
He began to send letters to the Royal Society of London, describing what he had seen with his microscope in 1673. By 1680, he was granted the honor of Fellowship in the Royal Society. Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek died on August 26th, 1723 at the age of 90.
References:
Karamanou, M., et al. "Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723): Father of micromorphology and discoverer of spermatozoa." Revista Argentina de Microbiología 42.4 (2010): 311-314..
Zuylen, J. van. "The microscopes of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek." Journal of microscopy 121.3 (1981): 309-328..
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/biography/Antonie-van-Leeuwenhoek
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