1680: Member of the Royal Society

The most important event in this period was Leeuwenhoek's election as a member of the Royal Society in 1680. After Hooke's success two years previously replicating Leeuwenhoek's claims, there was no opposition to his election. According to Birch's History, the Society went to the effort of sending Leeuwenhoek an official declaration and seal. Several the letters that he wrote then were thank-you's.

Leeuwenhoek was so proud of being a member that the declaration and seal are on the table in front of him in the Verkolje portrait (right; click for full portrait).

[Summary of the year's events]

For a chronology of events and letters in 1680, see What happened? and Learn more below.

Sources

Year	Author	Title
1679 - 1682	Hooke, R.	Philosophical Collections
1756	Birch, T.	The History of the Royal Society of London

What happened?

Date	Event
January 25, 1680	Robert Hooke read part of Letter L-096 of 1680-01-12 about the structure of wood
February 1, 1680	Robert Hooke read Letter L-085 to Huygens of 1679-05-20 about the number and size of little animals in ginger water
February 2, 1680	Robert Hooke wrote Letter L-099 to inquire whether Leeuwenhoek would accept election to the Royal Society
February 7, 1680	microscopist Jan Swammerdam died
February 8, 1680	Elected a member by the Royal Society
February 18, 1680	cousin Margaretha (Grietjen) Huijchs Leeuwenhoek married Gijsbert Pieterse Cruijt
February 22, 1680	Thomas Gale authorized by the Royal Society to send diploma with seal to Leeuwenhoek
February 29, 1680	Royal Society ordered that its coat of arms be engraved on the silver box holding Leeuwenhoek's diploma
March 4, 1680	Royal Society discussed a silver box for Leeuwenhoek's diploma
March 7, 1680	Royal Society further discussed Leeuwenhoek's diploma
March 8, 1680	Thomas Gale wrote Letter L-101, sending Leeuwenhoek official notice of his election as member of the Royal Society
March 21, 1680	Royal Society postponed reading of Letter L-085 of 1679-05-20 to Huygens
March 28, 1680	Royal Society again postponed reading of Letter L-085 of 1679-05-20 to Huygens
April 11, 1680	Robert Hooke read Letter L-102 of 1680-04-05 about rat sperm and organisms in gills of oysters and sap of vines
April 22, 1680	Robert Hooke wrote Letter L-103 to Leeuwenhoek as official notice of his election as member of the Royal Society
May 23, 1680	Robert Hooke read the three letters of 1680-05-13 thanking the Royal Society
June 20, 1680	Robert Hooke produced the two letters of 1680-06-14 from Leeuwenhoek at a meeting of the Royal Society
June 27, 1680	The Royal Society read Letter 108 of 1680-06-14 about beer, yeast, a little animals in hermetically sealed tubes
August 13, 1680	Constantijn Huygens, jr., called Leeuwenhoek "the great man of the century"
November 21, 1680	Robert Hooke read the headings of Letter L-111 of 1680-11-12
December 5, 1680	Francis Aston promised the Royal Society to translate Letter L-111 of 1680-11-12 into English

Learn more

Related letters:

What Leeuwenhoek wrote ...
Wrote Letter L-097 of 1680-01-12 to Robert Hooke about the structure of wood and sperm in fish
Wrote Letter L-098 of 1680-01-16 to Robert Hooke, enclosing a copy of Letter L-085 of 1679-05-20 to Constantijn Huygens about the number and size of little animals
Wrote Letter L-100 of 1680-02-13 to Robert Hooke that being elected a member of the Royal Society would be an honour
Wrote Letter L-102 of 1680-04-05 to Robert Hooke about the testicles and sperm of a rat and organisms in the gills of oysters and in the sap of vines
Wrote Letter L-105 of 1680-05-13 to Robert Hooke to gratefully accept his election as a foreign member of the Royal Society and to acknowledge the receipt of his diploma
Wrote Letter L-106 of 1680-05-13 to Thomas Gale about little animals in sap and whether little animals are in the air
Wrote Letter L-104 of 1680-05-13 to Members of the Royal Society expressing his surprise and gratitude at being elected a member
Wrote Letter L-108 of 1680-06-14 to Thomas Gale about beer, yeast, crab's eyes in vinegar, and little animals reproducing in hermetically-sealed tubes
Wrote Letter L-107 of 1680-06-14 to Robert Hooke, a short cover letter
Wrote Letter L-109 of 1680-08-09 to Robert Hooke to ask whether the Royal Society received previous letters and to promise further investigations into the formation of blood
Wrote Letter L-110 of 1680-09-28 to Thomas Gale to inquire whether Letter 107 of 1680-06-14 had arrived
Wrote Letter L-111 of 1680-11-12 to Robert Hooke about blood globules, lees of wine, globules in rain water, milk vessels, reproduction, little animals in the male seed of animals, and their incomprehensible smallness

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1680: Member of the Royal Society

Period 2 - 1679-1686

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in the 1600's