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Jan 1, 1301
Spectacles
Spectacles were first made in Italy -
Creation of the first microscope
Two Dutch spectacle makers (father and son) created the first microscope -
"Micrographia"
Robert Hooke's famous "Micrographia" is published, which outlines Hooke's various studies using the microscope. -
The using of the microscope
Anton van Leeuwenhoek, who used a microscope with one lens to observe insects and other specimen. Leeuwenhoek was the first to observe bacteria. 18th century: As technology improved, microscopy became more popular among scientists. Part of this was due to the discovery that combining two types of glass reduced the chromatic effect. -
Weak Lenses
Joseph Jackson Lister discovers that using weak lenses together at various distances provided clear magnification. -
Theories
A mathematical theory linking resolution to light wavelength is invented by Ernst Abbe. -
Ultramicroscope
Richard Zsigmondy invents the ultramicroscope, which allows for observation of specimens below the wavelength of light. -
Transparent Biological Materials
Transparent biological materials are studied for the first time using Frits Xernike's invention of the phase-contrast microscope. -
Invention of the Electron Microscope
Just six years after the invention of the phase contrast microscope comes the electron microscope, developed by Ernst Ruska, who realized that using electrons in microscopy enhanced resolution. -
3-D
3-D specimen images possible with the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer.