At a Glance
Where
Delft
The Netherlands lies in the low country along the northwestern coast of continental Europe about 200 miles (320 km) east-northeast of London, across the North Sea. Delft is about 20 miles south of Amsterdam.
When
Golden Age
In the 1600's, the Dutch Republic was the most prosperous and most powerful country in Europe economically, especially in world-wide trade.
What
The Microscopic World
Everything that Leeuwenhoek saw, he was the first human ever to see: protozoa, bacteria, sperm, and red-blood cells, among many examples.
How
Tiny Single-Lens
Magnifying Glasses
Magnifying Glasses
These little hand-made devices, most often brass, all a little different, easily fit into Leeuwenhoek's palm. With a lens so small, about two millimeters in diameter, he was able to discover a whole new world that no one even suspected.
