The learned members of the Royal Society of London were astounded when, in 1693, the part-time caretaker of the Delft Town Hall, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, sent them a letter detailing a world they have never even dreamt of. It was a world never previously seen, and was made possible by the invention of a microscope.

What had initially been amusement on the part of the Society members turned to interest and astonishment, and van Leeuwenhoek was encouraged to reveal more of his astonishing discoveries, which he agreed to, and continued to do for the next 50 years. Van Leeuwenhoek was born on October 24 1632, in the Dutch town of Delft. He owned a small dry goods store before being appointed caretaker of the Town Hall, his hobby was the grinding of lenses to make microscopes. He later left his employment at the Town Hall to pursue this interest full time.

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