Anton Van Leeuwenhoek was not the inventor of the compound microscope. The microscope was invented by Robert Hooke of England and Jan Swammerdam of the Netherlands in 1595, almost 40 years before Leeuwenhoek was even born. However, Leeuwenhoek improved on the quality of the lens used in his microscopes.
Leeuwenhoek's skill at grinding microscope lenses, combined with his eyesight and use of lighting, allowed his microscopes to magnify up to 200 times. By comparison, early compound microscopes could only magnify up to 30 to 40 times. His first scientific observation on bee mouths and stings was delivered to the Royal Society in 1673
