Chronology of events: 1720--1776

For some events, the year is certain but the month and day are not. Example: We know only the year for the collections of Leeuwenhoek's letters published in Dutch during his lifetime.

For other events, the season or month are certain but the day is not. Example: Leeuwenhoek mentions that someone visited him "last month".

On the other hand, many events did indeed happen on the first day of a month. Example: public appointments to Delft's city offices took effect on January 1 of each year. Thus:

  • A date of January 1 in a given year may indicate that the year is certain but the month and day are not.
  • A date of 1 in a given month may indicate that the year and month are certain but the day is not.

Unless otherwise indicated, for events in England, the date given is Old Style, 10 days behind the Dutch Republic's New Style until 1700 and then 11 days behind.

Date
January 9, 1720 Wrote Letter L-565 of 1720-01-09 to the members of the Royal Society about muscle fibres and membranes of a cow, mites on the flesh of a whale, and the nerves around the muscle fibres and tendons of a cow
April 8, 1720 cousin Magdaleentje (Helena) Maertens Leeuwenhoek buried
April 29, 1720 Received payment from the city for inspector / wine gauger duties
April 29, 1720 Rented the farm in Den Bommel to Johannes Braber
August 3, 1720 Anthonie Heinsius died
November 20, 1720 Wrote Letter L-566 of 1720-11-20 to the members of the Royal Society about bone membrane and the canals in bone, the cell layers and blood vessels in the bone membrane, and bone from the rib of a cow
December 30, 1720 cousin Maarten Pieters Hogenhouck buried
January 11, 1721 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 31, no. 366 published, including Letter L-566
January 15, 1721 Wrote Letter L-567 of 1721-01-15 to members of the Royal Society about the stomata of the leaves of boxwood, the number of them, and the down on the skin of a peach and a quince
January 24, 1721 Wrote Letter L-568 of 1721-01-24 to the members of the Royal Society about vessels in wood from Ambon (Indonesia), oakwood, and pinewood, the muscle fibres of a cow, a whale, and a mouse, and the structure of a red blood cell
April 11, 1721 Wrote Letter L-569 of 1721-04-11 to the members of the Royal Society about how flesh fibers are nourished by the blood vessels, this time in fish
May 1, 1721 At age 88, his 100th publication in Philosophical Transactions
May 11, 1721 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 31, no. 367 published with two letters by Leeuwenhoek, L-565 and L-568
June 27, 1721 Wrote Letter L-570 of 1721-06-27 to the members of the Royal Society about finally discovering the little holes in the membranes of beans and peas and about the little vessels in seed membranes
July 3, 1721 Royal Society ordered Letter L-570 to be translated
September 11, 1721 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 31, no. 368 published with two letters by Leeuwenhoek, L-569 and L-570
November 17, 1721 Made will with daughter Maria
November 26, 1721 Amended will of November 17
November 30, 1721 Presented will of November 17 to notary Jan de Bries
December 19, 1721 grand-nephew Jan Cornelis Haaxman buried
January 1, 1722 Published Arcana Naturae Detecta (Nature's Mysteries Disclosed), Letters 32, 33, 37, 39 - 41, 61 - 92 (2nd)
January 1, 1722 Published Continuatio Arcanorum Naturae detectorum (Continuation of Nature's Mysteries Disclosed), Letters 93 - 107 (2nd)
January 1, 1722 Published Opera Omnia, seu Arcana Naturae Microscopiorum (The Works, or Nature's Microscopical Mysteries), 25 Letters from 28 - 60 (4th)
January 11, 1722 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 31, no. 369 published, containing Letter L-567
January 22, 1722 Royal Society read Letter L-566 about bone membranes
February 22, 1722 James Jurin wrote Letter L-571 to Leeuwenhoek summarizing and praising his life's work
April 21, 1722 Wrote Letter L-572 of 1722-04-21 to the members of the Royal Society about the muscular fibres of different animals and whether iron becomes magnetic over time
May 1, 1722 Wrote Letter L-573 of 1722-05-01 to the members of the Royal Society about the structure of fat particles in sheep, lamb, flatfish, and perch
May 1, 1722 Wrote Letter L-574 of 1722-05-01 to James Jurin, a cover letter to Letter L-573, asking for support for his observations of hermaphroditic animals
May 15, 1722 Received payment from the city for inspector / wine gauger duties
May 21, 1722 Royal Society read Letter L-572 about muscle fibers and iron
May 26, 1722 James Jurin wrote Letter L-575 asking Leeuwenhoek to send Latin translations of his letters and passing along Hans Sloane's request for Leeuwenhoek to investigate smallpox pustules for insects
June 11, 1722 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 31, no. 371 published, containing Letter L-572
June 13, 1722 Wrote Letter L-576 of 1722-06-13 to the members of the Royal Society about the reproductive organs of a ewe and a fetus from it
June 13, 1722 Wrote Letter L-577 of 1722-06-13 to James Jurin, a cover letter for Letter L-576, expressing doubts that inoculations protect against smallpox
July 2, 1722 Royal Society read Letter L-573 about fat particles
July 7, 1722 Wrote Letter L-578 of 1722-07-07 to the members of the Royal Society about calluses on human skin
July 7, 1722 Wrote Letter L-579 of 1722-07-07 to James Jurin, a cover letter to Letter L-578, that no little animals are to be found in smallpox pustules; again opposes a proponent of spontaneous generation
July 13, 1722 Received payment from the city for inspector / wine gauger duties
September 11, 1722 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 372 published, containing Letter L-573
October 12, 1722 James Jurin wrote Letter L-580 to Leeuwenhoek, saying that his ideas about pocks are acceptable to the Royal Society
November 11, 1722 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 373 published with two letters by Leeuwenhoek, L-576 and L-578
November 20, 1722 Wrote Letter L-581 of 1722-11-20 to James Jurin about the miscroscopic structure of diamonds and rock crystal
January 4, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-582 to Leeuwenhoek about how to measure his microscopic observations
January 11, 1723 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 374 published, containing Letter L-581
March 19, 1723 Wrote Letter L-583 of 1723-03-19 to the members of the Royal Society about blood, now lost
March 19, 1723 Wrote Letter L-584 of 1723-03-19 to James Jurin about blood, the size of blood globules, the state of his health, and the role of the ovary in reproduction
April 1, 1723 Royal Society read Letter L-570 of 27 June 1721, two years after it was written, about beans and peas
May 31, 1723 Wrote Letter L-585 of 1723-05-31 to the members of the Royal Society about the structure and texture of the diaphragm, the source of his most severe ailment
June 8, 1723 Royal Society read Letter L-584 about blood, Leeuwenhoek's health, and his position on ovaries
July 6, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-586 to introduce Matthew Raper to Leeuwenhoek and continue the discussion about blood globules and generation
July 11, 1723 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 377 published, containing Letter L-584
July 15, 1723 Visited by Matthew Raper
August 1, 1723 Wrote Letter L-587 of sometime in August to James Jurin about the similarities between globules in blood and in the lees of wine to argue against Jurin’s hope to discover how blood globules are made
August 1, 1723 Wrote Letter L-588 of 1723-08-00 to James Jurin about his spermist view of the generation of animals and palpitations of his diaphragm, his final letter
August 25, 1723 Requested on his deathbed that his friend Johannes Hoogvliet translate his final two letters into Latin
August 26, 1723 Died in his Hippolytusbuurt home, 90 years old
August 27, 1723 Delft newspaper published notice of Leeuwenhoek's death
August 29, 1723 pastor Petrus Gribius wrote Letter L-589 to James Jurin announcing Leeuwenhoek's death
August 31, 1723 Buried in Oude Kerk
September 4, 1723 Johannes Hoogvliet wrote Letter L-590 to James Jurin accompanying his Latin translation of Leeuwenhoek's last two letters
September 4, 1723 Replaced as wine gauger by Lambert the Greek
October 4, 1723 daughter Maria wrote Letter L-591 as a cover letter for the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses to the Royal Society (AB 381)
October 4, 1723 pastor Petrus Gribius wrote Letter L-592 to James Jurin about Leeuwenhoek's methods
October 12, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-593 to Peter Gribius about Leeuwenhoek's death
October 20, 1723 Arnout van den Berch wrote Letter L-594 to the Royal Society that Abraham Edens will deliver the cabinet of magnifying glasses to the Royal Society
November 2, 1723 translator John Chamberlayne died
November 11, 1723 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 379 published, containing Letter L-585
November 18, 1723 Isaac Newton wrote Letter L-595 to Abraham Edens, a receipt for the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses
November 18, 1723 Abraham Edens presented a cabinet sent by Maria van Leeuwenhoek with 26 of her father's magnifying glasses to the Royal Society;
November 29, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-596 to Maria van Leeuwenhoek thanking her for sending the cabinet with 26 magnifying glasses
November 29, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-597 to Arnoud van den Berch about the cabinet of microscopes
November 29, 1723 James Jurin wrote Letter L-598 to Petrus Gribius thanking him for the safe delivery of the cabinet with Leeuwenhoek's magnifying glasses
December 2, 1723 Royal Society read Leeuwenhoek's Letter L-587 and Letter L-588 of August 1723, the final time they would read a letter by Leeuwenhoek, and Letter L-592 from Petrus Gribius
December 17, 1723 James Jurin wrote to Peter Gribius in thanks for the cabinet full of "precious treasures"
January 11, 1724 Martin Folkes's article, Letter L-599, about Leeuwenhoek's cabinet of microscopes published in Philosophical Transactions
January 11, 1724 Philosophical Transactions, vol. 32, no. 380 published with final two letters by Leeuwenhoek, L-587 and L-588, and Martin Folkes's article about the bequest of 26 microscopes
June 2, 1724 James Jurin wrote Letter L-600 to Arnoud van den Berch about delivering the Royal Society's gifts to Maria van Leeuwenhoek
June 2, 1724 James Jurin wrote Letter L-601 to Maria van Leeuwenhoek, presenting her with two volumes of Philosophical Transactions and a silver bowl
January 1, 1729 Reinier Boitet's Beschryving der Stadt Delft published; first biography of Leeuwenhoek
April 16, 1729 nephew Anthonij Jans de Molijn buried
January 1, 1730 Published Continuatio Epistolarum (Continuation of the Letters), Letters 53-60 (4th)
February 21, 1730 cousin Adriaen Lambrechts Leeuwenhoek, the notary, had his license suspended by the Heren van de Weth
August 7, 1732 daughter Maria added codicil to 1721 will
September 23, 1733 daughter Maria assessed for property tax on the Gulden Hoofd
November 14, 1739 daughter Maria funded the Oude Kerk memorial for her father
June 24, 1741 daughter Maria made a will providing for the graves
May 20, 1744 daughter Maria made her final will
April 25, 1745 daughter Maria died
April 30, 1745 daughter Maria buried
June 26, 1745 daughter Maria's estate inventoried
August 23, 1745 house on Hippolytusbuurt, het Gulden Hoofd, offered for sale
August 25, 1745 house on Hippolytusbuurt, het Gulden Hoofd, sold to great-nephew Dirk Haaxman
September 25, 1745 daughter Maria's 1744 act of guardianship presented to Weeskamer
September 15, 1746 daughter Maria's estate distributed to her heirs
March 6, 1747 Auction of Leeuwenhoek's microscopes announced in Leydse Courant
May 22, 1747 Auction of Leeuwenhoek's microcopes announced in cities throughout Europe
May 23, 1747 Andries Voorstad auctioned the books and instruments of a "Liefhebber"
May 29, 1747 Leeuwenhoek's magnifying glasses auctioned
September 26, 1748 Margareta Cornelia Hobus died childless
August 19, 1749 Executors of daughter Maria's estate advertised for heirs
August 14, 1755 niece Margareta Cornelia Hobus's estate
December 1, 1755 Josina van der Sprenkel sold the house on the Oosteinde that daughter Maria had bequeathed her
October 28, 1757 Executors of daughter Maria's estate declared that it cannot be distributed
October 17, 1763 niece Maria's granddaughter Maria Jans Haaxman divorced from Steven Bolland
December 14, 1765 great-nephew Dirk Haaxman sold the Gulden Hoofd
September 23, 1776 daughter Maria, final accounting of her estate