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1500 BCE
Ancient Egyptians
Perhaps the first making of Cell theory started all the way back with the Ancient Egyptians in 332 BC. Egyptian scientists theorized that everything was made out of cells, just like the cell theory today. They found this out from mummification This was the first idea ever that we know of in Cell theory. (image from National Geographic) -
1500 BCE
Medieval Europeans
Andreas Vesalius observed and gave the cell it's name.
This name would stick until cell theory, and still is used today (As of 2022) (image by Wikipedia) -
Robert Hooke
"English scientist Robert Hooke published Micrographia in 1665. In it, he illustrated the smallest complete parts of an organism." -National Geographic This helped cell theory because it was the first idea of cells
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Francesco Redi
Francesco Redi conducted an experiment, where he showed that living beings, come from smaller living beings. The experiment was a success, and he later created the third tenant of Cell Theory with other scientists. This was early proof of cells, yet they didn't know them as "cells", just smaller beings of life. (Image by Wikispecies.com) -
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
He discovered protozoa in 1674. Protozoa is a single-celled Eukaryote. Four years later, he would also discover bacteria. This helped cell theory because is proved that there were smaller beings of life, in these larger beings of life. (image from Florida state university) -
Lazzaro Spallanzani
He observed male reproduction, and found out about the sperm cell, even though they were not understood until thirty years later. This further proves cell theory because of the cells inside of us. (Image by Briticanna) -
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
He proposed that single-celled organisms will eventually evolve into multi-celled organisms over a certain amount of time. This is a key staple in the ideas of cell theory today. -
Robert Brown
Robert Brown was studying plant cells and observed that they had a hard structure. He predicted that the organelle was important to the cell.
This would later turn out to be the cell wall, and would later be known to only be in plant cells. It helped cell theory by realizing that animal and plant cells are different. (Image by Wikipedia) -
Matthias Schleiden
He published the year's contributions about photogenesis, and he concluded that plant tissue was made by cells. This further provided evidence to cell theory, and the year after it was proposed. (Image by Britannica) -
Theodor Schwann
Finally proposed the cell theory in 1839. (Image by Wikipedia) -
Rudolf Virchow
"It was also accepted in the early 1850s that imbalances in blastema caused diseases. Virchow used the theory that all cells arise from pre-existing cells to lay the groundwork for cellular pathology, or the study of disease at the cellular level. His work made it more clear that diseases occur at the cellular level." -Study.com Not only does this further prove cell theory after it was proposed, it also opens doors for new research on cells in the future. (Image by Wikipedia) -
Louis Pasteur
In 1859, Louis Pasteur showed evidence against Spontaneous Generation. He showed evidence that was against life coming out of things that were not living. It further proves cell theory, even though it was after cell theory was proposed. It also begs the question, "Where did the first cell come from?" (Image by Wikipedia)