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
September 27, 1678 Wrote Letter 26 of 1678-09-27 (AB 40) to Nehemiah Grew
October 14, 1678 sister Margrieta Philips Leeuwenhoek buried
October 31, 1678 Christiaan Huygens's method of melting powdered glass to make a spherical lens
November 6, 1678 daughter Maria registered as a member of the Hervormde Gemeente Delft (Reformed Church in Delft)
December 26, 1678 Wrote letter of 1678-12-26 (AB 41) to Constantijn Huygens
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 27 of 1679-02-21 (AB 42) 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 to Leeuwenhoek about some of his observations
April 25, 1679 Wrote Letter 28 of 1679-04-25 (AB 43) 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 of 1679-04-27 (AB 44) to Constantijn Huygens
May 1, 1679 Visited by James, Duke of York, and "several high personages"
May 4, 1679 mentor Constantijn Huygens called Leeuwenhoek the "magician of Delft"
May 11, 1679 Wrote letter of 1679-05-11 (AB 45) to Lambert van Velthuysen
May 15, 1679 Wrote letter of 1679-05-15 (AB 46) to Christiaan Huygens
May 20, 1679 Wrote letter of 1679-05-20 (AB 47) to Constantijn Huygens
June 13, 1679 Wrote letter of 1679-06-13 (AB 48) to Nehemiah Grew
June 13, 1679 Wrote letter of 1679-06-13 (AB 49) to Lambert van Velthuysen
July 11, 1679 Wrote letter of 1679-07-11 (AB 50) to Lambert van Velthuysen
July 20, 1679 Robert Hooke read his translation of Letter 28 of 1679-04-25 to Nehemiah Grew
July 27, 1679 Robert Hooke showed the Royal Society microscopical observations of the liquor in a ram's testicles
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 of 1679-10-13 (AB 51) to Robert Hooke
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 of 1679-11-14 (AB 52) to Lambert van Velthuysen about gout, salt, and drinking tea
November 20, 1679 Wrote letter of 1679-11-20 (AB 53) to Robert Hooke, copying his letter of 14 November 1679 to Velthuysen about gout, salt, and drinking tea

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