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Hans & Zaccharias Jenssen Experiment with Lenses
Two Dutch eyeglass makers, Hans and Zaccharias Jenssen experimented with multiple lenses placed in a tube. They discovered that viewed objects turned out greatly magnified. This is considered as the forerunner of both the microscope and the telescope -
Robert Hooke Discovers Cells
English physicist, Robert Hooke, looked at a sliver of cork through a microscpoe lens and noticed some "pores" on them, and dubbed them "cells", reminding him of the cells that monks lived in at the time. -
Anton van Leeuwenhoek Examines Live Cells
Anton van Leeuwenhoek built a simple microscope with only one lens to view tiny objects such as blood and yeast. He was the first to describe bacteria. He also invented methods for grinding glass to get the curve needed for up to 270x magnification. -
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Technical Innovations Lead to Microscopy Becoming Popular
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Ernest Abbe Formulates "Abbe Sine Condition"
Ernest Abbe, research director of Zeiss Optical Works, publishes a mathematical formula, the "Abbe Sine Condition", which provided calculations for the maximum possible resolution. -
Ricahrd Zsigmondy Invents Ultramicroscope
Richard Zsigmondy invents the ultramicroscope, which allows for the study of things below the wavelength of light. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1925. -
Ernst Ruska co-invents the Electron Microscope
Ernst Ruska co-invents the electron microscope, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. -
Frits Zernike Invents Phase-Contrast Microscope
Frits Zernike invents the phase-contrast microscope, which allows the study of colorless and transparent biological material. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1953. -
Viruses First Seen