From digital USB microscopes to the iPhone microscope app, there are many ways that microscopes have become utilized in the modern world – in addition to, of course, the traditional microscopes used in scientific and educational settings. Things like digital USB microscopes and the handheld digital microscope have made using microscopes more available and accessible than ever before here in the United States – as well as in so many other places all throughout the world as a whole.
But the use of microscopes is not new – in fact, the first microscope was invented many centuries ago, back in the year of 1590. All of the details of this invention are not known, but we have been able to make some educated guesses as to who was behind the invention of a tool that has been so very useful for so many applications ever since. Some people think that Hans Lippershey first invented the microscope, as it was Hans Lippershey that who filed the very first patent for a microscope. This is a reasonable assumption to make, of course, but others have come to the conclusion that it was not Hans Lippershey who first invented the microscope but a father and son duo by the names of Hans and Zacharias Janssen. As these two men lived in the same town as Hans Lippershey and worked as spectacle makers (meaning that they would likely have the basics of knowledge to create the first microscope), this is also a good guess at the microscope’s very first inventor and user (or users, as the case might be for the latter, of course).
No matter who originally invented the microscope, there is no doubting the fact that microscopes have been hugely important in many scientific areas of study all throughout the centuries of usage. For instance, microscopes were first used to study various insects and other such bugs. Because of this, these early microscopes were first known as “flea glasses,” though the name was dropped as time passed on, the microscopes became more advanced, and became used for a variety of other things as well.
However, it was drawings of a bee observed through a microscope that became the very first recorded observations through the use of such a scientific tool ever in history. These drawings were done by a man of the name of Francesco Stelluti, who was an Italian scientist. These drawings were conducted in the year of 1625, with many of them to follow throughout the course of history – and many of these microscopic observations changing our understanding of science and the world as a whole as well. In fact, more than half of a century later in the year of 1683, the first ever drawings of bacteria were able to be made by the now famous scientist, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. As we now know, understanding bacteria has been critical for so many things, including understanding many aspects of medicine – particularly that of disease prevention.
In today’s world, microscopes have become more widely utilized than ever before. In fact, the use of digital USB microscopes has made microscope usage applicable to just about everyone. Of course, digital USB microscopes are certainly not the only type of microscope to be utilized here in the United States and throughout the rest of the world as well. In addition to digital USB microscopes, more traditional microscopes are essential for education in many schools throughout the country and beyond. Many a high school student will use a microscope to understand more about things like cells, biology, and so much more. In these capacities, more high powered microscopes than the typical digital USB microscopes will be necessary, but such microscopes have also become more commonplace and easy to obtain than ever before. And, of course, microscopes are used in various scientific capacities as well, consistently furthering scientific discovery and exploration here in the United States and beyond it as well.
At the end of the day, there is no denying the importance of microscopes in the past or in the future.
