Who is Anton van Leeuwenhoek?
Anton Thonius Philips van Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft, Netherlands on 24 October 1632. The son of a craftsman, van Leeuwenhoek became interested in biology early on. When he was employed as an apprentice with a textile merchant, van Leeuwenhoek discovered microscopes. At that time, they were used almost exclusively by clothmakers to see details in fabrics, but van Leeuwenhoek immediately understood the potential for other uses. Van Leeuwenhoek went on to become a successful businessman. When he was still a university student, he already owned the largest drapery business in the city. In 1669, van Leeuwenhoek obtained a degree as a geographer and started working as a scientist almost immediately. This gave him an opportunity to reconnect with his fascination for microscopes. Van Leeuwenhoek started working on an improved version of the original microscope, in addition to creating a series of lenses and recording microscopic observations. In 1676, van Leeuwenhoek was the first to obser
