Leeuwenhoek Describes Animalcules

Date: September 17, 1683 • Location: Rome, Italy

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek writes a letter to the Royal Society describing "animalcules", later known as protozoa.

Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek was a Dutch microbiologist and microscopist in the Golden Age of Dutch art, science and technology. A largely self-taught man in science, he is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology", and one of the first microscopists and microbiologists. Van Leeuwenhoek is best known for his pioneering work in microscopy and for his contributions toward the establishment of microbiology as a scientific discipline.