Microbes were discovered by a draper.

1676

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek never went to university; he ground lenses to count threads in cloth, and ended up with the best microscopes in the world.

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The event

• Leeuwenhoek sees microbes1676 · Delft. Cloth merchant Antonie van Leeuwenhoek ground his own lenses and in 1676 wrote to the Royal Society about "animalcules" in a drop of water. It was the first time anyone had seen bacteria and protists.

17th century

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