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... (1632-1723) of Holland was apprenticed in a linen-draper's shop. He set himself up in business as a draper (a fabric merchant) and at some time before 1668, Antony van Leeuwenhoek learned to grind lenses, made simple microscopes, and began observing with them. He taught himself how to polish and grind lenses. Leeuwenhoek's skill at grinding lenses, together with his naturally acute eyesight and great care in adjusting the lighting where he worked, enabled him to build microscopes that magnified 270 times. He then started to use his microscopes to observe just about anything that could be placed under a microscope; he was the first to see and describe bacteria and the existence of tiny living organisms in a drop of water. During his lifetime he observed many living and non-living things under his Light Microscope and wrote letters to the Royal Society of England and the French Academy, describing what ...