To explain what is a microscope - a thankless job. And what it is intended for, any person who left at least incomplete secondary school has idea what the device is.
At sources
Strangely enough, but there is no consensus about the one who exactly invented the device so necessary to researchers. The fact is that the very first researches and experiments in this direction were made still by Euclid, and Ptolemaeus in the second century in the treatise "Optics" described the main characteristics of the so-called igniting glasses.
In 1610 Galilei noticed that by means of his well-known "Galilei's pipe" it is possible to consider small objects with big increase. Thus, Galilei can be considered the creator of the first microscope, at least, of its scheme consisting of positive and negative lenses.
From now on across the whole Europe intensive researches in this direction begin. Faber in 1625 offered the term "microscope".
Age of opening
In general all the 17th century became critical in studying optics. All new and new, more and more perfect designs of microscopes were everywhere created. Special success was achieved in this case by A. Kirkher. He in the composition described 1646 a design of the most made microscope which he called "flea glass" the Device consisted of a magnifying glass in a copper frame, the subject table and a mirror of illumination located from below. The magnifying glass moved by means of the special screw and allowed to adjust the accurate and clear image. This scheme also formed a basis for creation of modern optical microscopes. The invention Huygens of the system of eyepieces and creation of the scheme of obtaining the achromatic, that is colourless image, allowed to raise microscope resolution substantially. Then K. Drebel developed the scheme of a microscope with a lens and an eyepiece on the basis of biconvex lenses. Having achieved rather big and high-quality increase, he however received the turned image. However, situation was improved by Robert Hooke. In 1661 he added one more lens to the scheme and by that created the microscope which actually reached our days.
And how Levenguk?
From a school bench it is known that not who other as Anthony Van Levenguk invented a microscope. Now just right to ask a question - whether so it? It is considered that its contribution to history is invaluable for this reason. Anthony Van Levenguk was born the city of Delft in 1632. Holding the gatekeeper's position in a city town hall, he was fond of grinding of lenses in free time. He managed to create small lenses with huge increase, about 300 - 400 krat. With their help he began to study usual water and came to amazing opening. Levenguk found practical application for huge increases, having become really the ancestor of microbiology. In 1661 he presented the opening to the London royal society of natural sciences and was awarded an honorary title of the greatest researcher and the inventor of a microscope.