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100
Glass Invented
100 AD. After the invention of glass, the Romans were trying to figure out how to use glass to magnify objects. They discovered that glass could make objects appear larger. In the 13th century glass was then used for eyeglasses which proved this theory. -
200
Claudius Ptolemy discovered
that stick appears bend to bend in a pool of water. After recording the angles of the bent stick, he calculated the refraction constant of water. -
Feb 11, 1201
Spectacle invented as glasses
13th century. After discovering that glass could be used to make objects appear larger, the first spectacle was invented by Salvino D'Armate from Italy proving this theory. -
Feb 11, 1268
Roger Bacon created a glass lense
Roger Bacon studied the optical properties of lenses and mirrors. It was believed that he was the first man to combine two lenses. He used the law of refraction to derive lens shapes that focus light with no geometric aberrations. -
First Compound Microscope
Zacharias Jansen and his father Hans were experimenting with lenses and put multiple lenses in a tube. This experiment led to the invention of the first compound microscope. The magnification of the microscope was only 9x. They knew it was a microscope because the object at the end of the tube was greatly larger, larger than what a magnifying glass could do. -
Galilelo creats a focusing device
Galilelo was curious when he heard of others experimenting and inventing microscopes so he then decided to do experiments of his own. He then went on to describe principles of lenses and light rays improving microscopes and telescopes. He then added a focusing device to the microscope improving its performance. -
Robert Hooke publishes Micrographia
Robert Hooke published a book called Micrographia. This book contained information describing microscopic and teloscopic observations. It also included work that he had done in biology. The book demonstrates the power of the microscope. -
Anton Van Leewenhoek makes and uses the first real microscope
Anton Van Leewenhoek was the first to observe and describe organisms. He made his own microscoped and improved it to have 200x magnification. His microscopes were very small but had very good lenses. -
Carl Zeiss made improvements to the microscope
1800s. Carl Zeiss started making improvements to the lenses he used with his microscopes. He then hired Otto Schott, a glass specialist, who researched optical glass. Zeiss also hired Ernst Abbe to improve the manufacturing of the optical instrument. The work of both allowed them to greatly understand the optical quality of a microscope. -
Achromatic microscope lens developed by Giovanni Amici
Achromatic lenses are made to bring two wavelengths into focus in the same place. The Achromatic microscope by Amioi contains a quad-eye tube head that allows 4 people to view at once. -
Theory of resolution in microscope is developed by Ernst Abbe
Ernst Abbe develops a theory of the microscope correlating resolution to the wavelength of light. This formula allows maximun resolution in microscopes. -
Kohler Illumination developed
Kohler Illumination is a method of of specimen illumination used in microscopes. This method is used to achieve maximum resolution and light focusing. -
Electrons rather than light to generate images
1900s Using electrons rather than light to generate images is used when viewing extremely small objects. The first electron microscope was invented by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll in 1931. -
Confocal laser scanning microscope
Confocal laser scanning microscopy is a technique for obtaining high-resolution optical images. It allows the ability to acquire in-focus objects from selected depths. -
First scanning tunneling microscope
The scanning tunneling microscope was invented by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer. This microscope is used to obtain images of conductive surfaces at an atomic scale 2 x 10-10 m or 0.2 nanometre. It can also be used to alter the material and create ions. -
Atomic Force Microscope
Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer invented the first Atomic Force Microscope. This microscope is a high-resolution type of scanning probe microscope. -
Green fluorescent protein to fluoresce cells invented
YouTube video on Green Fluorescent ProteinThis is a protein that shines green when exposed to light in the blue to ultraviolet range. Jellyfish have the same protein. This protein is mostly used in cell biology. Invented by Osama Shimomura.
