Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (layu-wen-hook) was born in Delft, a city in the western Netherlands, on October 24, 1632. His father was a basket-maker, while his mother's family were brewers. Antoni was educated as a child in a school in the town of Warmond. In 1676 he served as the trustee of the estate for Jan Vermeer, a famous painter, who had had been born in the same year as Leeuwenhoek and is thought to have …

…ants, showing how the larvae and pupae originate from eggs. Leeuwenhoek also observed plant and muscle tissue, and described three types of bacteria: bacilli, cocci, and spirilla. Leeuwenhoek succeeded in making some of the most important discoveries in the history of biology. He discovered bacteria, free-living and parasitic microscopic protist, sperm cells, blood cells, microscopic nematodes and rotifers, and much more. His researches, which were circulated widely, opened up an entire world of microscopic life.