1. CELLS

2. Robert Hooke

3. Compound Microscope

5. Hooke
Hooke looked at the bark of a cork tree (cork) through a compound microscope. He observed tiny room-like structures that he called “cells”. He was actually seeing the cell walls of the dead plant cells.

6. Anton Von Leeuwenhoek

8. “Animalcules”

9. Leeuwenhoek
Leeuwenhoek was an amateur scientist who was curious and had a microscope. He looked at rainwater, plaque from his teeth, and blood (among other things.) He was looking at live cells, most of which were bacteria. Not knowing what bacteria were at that time, he called them “animalcules.”

10. Matthias Schleiden

11. Botanist

12. Schleiden
Schleiden was a botanist, a scientist who studies plants. As he was looking at different parts of plants under a microscope (the stem, the leaves, etc.) he observed that all of the different parts of plants were made of cells.

13. Theodor Schwann

14. Zoologist

15. Schwann
Schwann was a zoologist, a scientist who studies animals. As he was looking at different parts of animals under a microscope (their skin, bones, muscles, blood, etc.) he observed that all of the different parts of animals were made of cells.

16. Rudolph Virchow 1855

18. Virchow
Virchow was the first person (or at least the person who gets the credit!) to observe cells dividing and to explain that cells come from other cells. This was further evidence proving that spontaneous generation did not occur, that instead living things come from other living things.

19. Explanation of the relationship between cells and living things
Cell Theory
Explanation of the relationship between cells and living things

20. Cell Theory All Living things are made of cells
Cells are the basic units of structure and function of living things
Living cells come only from other living cells