Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (layu-wen-hook) was born in Delft, a city in the western Netherlands, on October 24, 1632. His father was a basket-maker, while his mother's family were brewers. Antoni was educated as a child in a school in the town of Warmond. In 1676 he served as the trustee of the estate for Jan Vermeer, a famous painter, who had had been born in the same year as Leeuwenhoek and is thought to have …showed first 75 words of 470 total…

…showed last 75 words of 470 total…ants, showing how the larvae and pupae originate from eggs. Leeuwenhoek also observed plant and muscle tissue, and described three types of bacteria: bacilli, cocci, and spirilla. Leeuwenhoek succeeded in making some of the most important discoveries in the history of biology. He discovered bacteria, free-living and parasitic microscopic protist, sperm cells, blood cells, microscopic nematodes and rotifers, and much more. His researches, which were circulated widely, opened up an entire world of microscopic life.