Chronology of events: 1720--1723

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
January 9, 1720 Wrote letter of 1720-01-09 (AB 354) to members of the Royal Society about muscle fibres and membranes of a cow, mites on the flesh of a whale, and the nerves around the muscle fibres and tendons of a cow
April 8, 1720 cousin Magdaleentje (Helena) Maertens Leeuwenhoek buried
April 29, 1720 Received payment from the city for inspector / wine gauger duties
April 29, 1720 Rented the farm in den Bommel to Johannes Braber
August 3, 1720 Anthonie Heinsius died
November 20, 1720 Wrote letter of 1720-11-20 (AB 355) to members of the Royal Society about the bone membrane and the canals in bone, the cell layers and blood vessels in the bone membrane and bone from the rib of a cow
December 30, 1720 cousin Maarten Pieters Hogenhouck buried
January 15, 1721 Wrote letter of 1721-01-15 (AB 356) to members of the Royal Society about the stomata of the leaves of boxwood, the number of them, and the down on the skin of a peach and a quince
January 24, 1721 Wrote letter of 1721-01-24 (AB 357) to members of the Royal Society about vessels in wood from Ambon (Indonesia), oakwood, and pinewood, the muscle fibres of a cow, a whale, and a mouse, and the structure of a red blood cell
April 11, 1721 Wrote letter of 1721-04-11 (AB 358) to members of the Royal Society about how flesh fibers are nourished by the blood vessels, this time in fish
May 1, 1721 At age 88, his 100th publication in Philosophical Transactions
June 27, 1721 Wrote letter of 1721-06-27 (AB 359) to members of the Royal Society about finally discovering the little holes in the membranes of beans and peas and about the little vessels in seed membranes
November 17, 1721 Made will with daughter Maria
November 26, 1721 Amended will of November 17
November 30, 1721 Presented will of November 17 to notary Jan de Bries
December 19, 1721 grand-nephew Jan Cornelis Haaxman buried
January 1, 1722 Published Arcana Naturae Detecta (Nature's Mysteries Disclosed), Letters 32, 33, 37, 39 - 41, 61 - 92 (2nd)
January 1, 1722 Published Continuatio Arcanorum Naturae detectorum (Continuation of Nature's Mysteries Disclosed), Letters 93 - 107 (2nd)
January 1, 1722 Published Opera Omnia, seu Arcana Naturae Microscopiorum (The Works, or Nature's Microscopical Mysteries), 25 Letters from 28 - 60 (4th)
February 22, 1722 James Jurin wrote to Leeuwenhoek summarizing and praising his life's work (AB 360)
April 21, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-04-21 (AB 361) to members of the Royal Society about the muscular fibres of different animals and whether iron becomes magnetic over time
May 1, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-05-01 (AB 362) to members of the Royal Society about the structure of fat particles in sheep, lamb, flatfish, and perch
May 1, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-05-01 (AB 363) to James Jurin, a cover letter asking for support for his observations of hermaphroditic animals
May 15, 1722 Received payment from the city for inspector / wine gauger duties
May 15, 1722 James Jurin wrote (AB 364) to Leeuwenhoek asking him to send Latin translations of his letters
June 13, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-06-13 (AB 365) to members of the Royal Society about the reproductive organs of a ewe and a fetus from it
June 13, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-06-13 (AB 366) to James Jurin, a cover letter expressing doubts that inoculations protect against smallpox
July 7, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-07-07 (AB 368) to James Jurin, a cover letter about his determination that no microorganisms are to be found in the pustules of those with smallpox
July 7, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-07-07 (AB 367) to the members of the Royal Society about calluses on human skin
July 13, 1722 Received payment from the city for inspector / wine gauger duties
November 20, 1722 Wrote letter of 1722-11-20 (AB 369) to James Jurin about the miscroscopic structure of diamonds and rock crystal
December 24, 1722 James Jurin wrote (AB 370) to Leeuwenhoek about how to measure his microscopic observations
January 15, 1723 Wrote letter of 1723-02-15 (AB 371) to members of the Royal Society about the exhaling vessels of boxwood leaves
March 19, 1723 Wrote letter of 1723-03-19 (AB 372) to members of the Royal Society about blood, the size of blood globules, the state of his health, and the role of the ovary in reproduction
May 31, 1723 Wrote letter of 1723-05-31 (AB 373) to members of the Royal Society about the structure and texture of the diaphragm, the source of his most severe ailment
June 25, 1723 James Jurin wrote (AB 374) to Leeuwenhoek about blood globules and generation
July 15, 1723 Visited by Matthew Raper
August 1, 1723 Wrote letter of 1723-08-00 (AB 376) to James Jurin about his spermist view of the generation of animals and palpitations of his diaphragm
August 1, 1723 Wrote letter of 1723-08-00 (AB 375) to James Jurin about the similarities between globules in blood and in the lees of wine to argue against Jurin’s hope to discover how blood globules are made
August 25, 1723 Requested on his deathbed that Hoogvliet translate his final two letters into Latin
August 26, 1723 Died in his Hippolytusbuurt home, 90 years old
August 27, 1723 Delft newspaper published notice of Leeuwenhoek's death
August 30, 1723 pastor Petrus Gribius wrote to James Jurin of the Royal Society announcing Leeuwenhoek's death (AB 377)
August 31, 1723 Buried in Oude Kerk
September 4, 1723 Replaced as wine gauger by Lambert the Greek
September 4, 1723 Johannes Hoogvliet wrote a note to James Jurin accompanying his Latin translation of Leeuwenhoek's last two letters (AB 378)
October 1, 1723 James Jurin wrote to Peter Gribius about Leeuwenhoek's death (AB 379)
October 4, 1723 pastor Petrus Gribius wrote to James Jurin of the Royal Society about Leeuwenhoek's methods (AB 380)
October 4, 1723 daughter Maria wrote cover letter when she sent the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses to the Royal Society (AB 381)
November 2, 1723 translator John Chamberlayne died
November 7, 1723 Abraham Edens presented cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses to the Royal Society; Isaac Newton wrote a receipt
November 18, 1723 James Jurin wrote to Maria van Leeuwenhoek thanking her for sending the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses
November 18, 1723 James Jurin wrote to Arnoud van den Berch about the cabinet of microscopes
December 17, 1723 James Jurin wrote to Peter Gribius in thanks for the cabinet full of "precious treasures"