Chronology of events: 1673--1679

For some events, the year is certain but the month and day are not. Example: We know only the year for the collections of Leeuwenhoek's letters published in Dutch during his lifetime.

For other events, the season or month are certain but the day is not. Example: Leeuwenhoek mentions that someone visited him "last month".

On the other hand, many events did indeed happen on the first day of a month. Example: public appointments to Delft's city offices took effect on January 1 of each year. Thus:

  • A date of January 1 in a given year may indicate that the year is certain but the month and day are not.
  • A date of 1 in a given month may indicate that the year and month are certain but the day is not.

Unless otherwise indicated, for events in England, the date given is Old Style, 10 days behind the Dutch Republic's New Style until 1700 and then 11 days behind.

Date
February 14, 1678 Wrote Letter L-069 to Joseph Williamson, as Grew had requested
February 28, 1678 Christiaan Huygens began a series of observations of little animals replicating and expanding on Leeuwenhoek's
March 14, 1678 Christiaan Huygens observed little animals using dark-ground illumination
March 17, 1678 Robert Hooke showed the Royal Society microscopical observations of tendons and little animals in anise and coffee
March 18, 1678 Wrote Letter L-070 of 1678-03-18 to Nehemiah Grew about sperm in other animals and what Harvey and de Graaf got wrong about reproduction
March 24, 1678 Robert Hooke read his paper about his microscopic observations and methods
April 7, 1678 Robert Hooke showed the Royal Society microscopical observations of muscle from a lobster's claw
April 20, 1678 Nehemiah Grew wrote Letter L-071 of 1678-04-20 to Leeuwenhoek about his criticisms of Leeuwenhoek's work
April 28, 1678 Johannes Swammerdam wrote to Melchisedec Thévenot, saying that Leeuwenhoek "is biased, and reasons in a very barbarical way"
April 28, 1678 Robert Hooke wrote Letter L-072 to Leeuwenhoek that King Charles saw the little animals in pepper water
May 5, 1678 Robert Hooke showed the Royal Society microscopical observations of the motion and composition of muscles
May 9, 1678 niece Maria Jans de Molijn buried
May 31, 1678 Wrote Letter L-073 of 1678-05-31 to Nehemiah Grew about teeth, bone, hair, and sperm and what de Graaf got wrong about ovulation
June 6, 1678 Christiaan Huygens wrote to Nehemiah Grew about seeing the sperm in human semen
June 11, 1678 Christiaan Huygens observed little animals in water that Leeuwenhoek had sent to him
July 4, 1678 Lambert Twent named first postmaster of Delft
September 17, 1678 Christiaan Huygens again observed little animals using dark-ground illumination
September 27, 1678 Wrote Letter L-074 of 1678-09-27 to Nehemiah Grew about sweat and globules in saliva and blood
October 13, 1678 Nehemiah Grew wrote Letter L-075 of 1678-10-13 to Leeuwenhoek that Letter L-073 about male sperm and female ovulation in humans would be printed "as far as decency permits"
October 14, 1678 sister Margrieta Philips Leeuwenhoek buried
November 6, 1678 daughter Maria registered as a member of the Hervormde Gemeente Delft (Reformed Church in Delft)
November 10, 1678 Christiaan Huygens's method of melting powdered glass to make a spherical lens
December 23, 1678 Constantijn Huygens wrote Letter L-076 to Leeuwenhoek about the identification of little animals observed in pepper-water by his son Christiaan as well as the latter’s description of the scales on the wings of butterflies
December 26, 1678 Wrote Letter L-077 of 1678-12-26 to Constantijn Huygens about how son Christiaan's observations of little animals correspond to his own
January 25, 1679 Authorized to administer the estate of Ernst Gerrits de Bruijn
February 10, 1679 Appointed curator; Johannes Blaucamer guarantor
February 21, 1679 Wrote Letter L-078 of 1679-02-21 to Nehemiah Grew about cod sperm and about not finding any little animals in blood or saliva
April 1, 1679 cousin Maerten Huijchs Leeuwenhoek appointed tax master
April 12, 1679 Lambert van Velthuysen wrote Letter L-079 to Leeuwenhoek about arteries and nerves
April 25, 1679 Wrote Letter L-080 of 1679-04-25 to Nehemiah Grew about living little animals in fish, hare, and dogs and his calculation that more than ten times as many living animals come from the milt of a cod as there are people living on the Earth
April 27, 1679 Wrote Letter L-081 of 1679-04-27 to Constantijn Huygens about the number of sperm in the milt of the cod
May 1, 1679 Visited by James, Duke of York, and "several high personages"
May 4, 1679 Constantijn Huygens wrote Letter L-082 to Leeuwenhoek that his son Christiaan’s new book Dioptrica is about to be published
May 4, 1679 mentor Constantijn Huygens, writing to his son Christiaan, called Leeuwenhoek the "bourgeois philosopher of Delft"
May 11, 1679 Wrote Letter L-083 of 1679-05-11 to Lambert van Velthuysen about people with gout
May 15, 1679 Wrote Letter L-084 of 1679-05-15 to Christiaan Huygens to explain more about his observations of little animals
May 20, 1679 Wrote Letter L-085 of 1679-05-20 to Constantijn Huygens about the number and size of the little animals he was observing
June 1, 1679 Lambert van Velthuysen wrote Letter L-086 to Leeuwenhoek about the chalky discharges from gouty skin and his well-known controversy with the conservative supporters of the House of Orange
June 13, 1679 Wrote Letter L-087 of 1679-06-13 to Nehemiah Grew asking him to acknowledge two letters from earlier that year
June 13, 1679 Wrote Letter L-088 of 1679-06-13 to Lambert van Velthuysen about the origin of life and the lack of appreciation by physicians and surgeons
June 17, 1679 Lambert van Velthuysen wrote Letter L-089 to Leeuwenhoek about procreation
July 11, 1679 Wrote Letter L-090 of 1679-07-11 to Lambert van Velthuysen about about the chalk produced by gouty patients and about bladder stones
July 20, 1679 Robert Hooke read his translation of Letter L-080 of 1679-04-25 at a weekly meeting of the Royal Society
July 27, 1679 Robert Hooke showed the Royal Society microscopical observations of the liquor in a lamb's testicles
August 1, 1679 Robert Hooke wrote Letter L-091 of some time in August 1679 to Leeuwenhoek; now lost
August 10, 1679 Robert Hooke showed the Royal Society microscopical observations of a cock's testicles
August 15, 1679 Appointed city inspector of imported and exported liquids / wine gauger
August 25, 1679 Called "an unlearned, but ingenious man" by Peter Pels
September 4, 1679 colleague Nicolaas van der Sloot appointed co-wine gauger
September 17, 1679 Paid tax on his personal stock of wine
October 13, 1679 Wrote Letter L-092 of 1679-10-13 to Robert Hooke to inquire of Hooke why he had not received any correspondence from the Royal Society for months, also discussed bladder stones
October 18, 1679 Lambert van Velthuysen wrote Letter L-093 of 1679-10-18 to Leeuwenhoek about his delay in responding and gout
October 27, 1679 Robert Hooke wrote Letter L-094 of 1679-10-27 to Leeuwenhoek about examining fecund and sterile eggs for spots
October 30, 1679 cousin Pieter Abrahams Hogenhouck buried
November 1, 1679 Philosophical Collections number 1 published in London, including Leeuwenhoek's Letter 28 of 1679-04-25 (AB 43) to Nehemiah Grew
November 14, 1679 Wrote Letter L-095 of 1679-11-14 to Lambert van Velthuysen about gout, salt, and drinking tea
November 20, 1679 Wrote Letter L-096 of 1679-11-20 to Robert Hooke, copying his Letter L-095 of 14 November 1679 about gout, salt, and drinking tea

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