Antonie Phillips Van Leeuwenhoek, the father of microbiology, is one of the most influential people in science; But how and why? Philips Teunisz a and Margriete Jacobsdr Van De Berch were married on January 30, 1622 in Delft in the Netherlands. They had their first child Antonie Philips Van Leeuwenhoek on October 24, 1632. Philips and Margriete had six more children, but before Antonie was six, two of her sisters and her father Philip died, leaving her mother to raise five children alone . . Margriete remarried a man named Jacob Molijn on December 18, 1640; When they married, Jacob sent Antonie to boarding school in Warmound, Leiden. This is the only known education in Leeuwenhoek. When Antonie was sixteen, her stepfather Philip died and Antonie was sent to live with her uncle in Amsterdam. In 1653, Leeuwenhoek obtained an apprenticeship with a Scottish draper, Antonie was hired as a bookkeeper and cashier, he held this position for five years. On July 11, 1654, Antonie returned to Delft and married Berber De Mey. They had five children together but four died young. Also in 1654, Leeuwenhoek purchased a wool store in Delft. Antonie and Berber were married for twelve short years before Berber's death in 1666, although Antonie was heartbroken he decided to remarry a woman named Cornelia Swalmius in 1671, they did not have a known children together. In 1653, Leeuwenhoek made his first microscope, a simple microscope similar to a magnifying glass used by textile merchants to count threads. The day he made his first Leeuwenhoek, he quickly discovered that it would not be his last and that is how he opened the door to the small but magnificent wonders of the world. As Antonie discovered his new hobby, he also discovered that it was not a cheap hobby, middle of paper...... and that it was actually made up of sales and came from spawning. Leeuwenhoek was also the first scientist of his time to discover that what was thought to be ant droppings were actually ant pupae. Before his death on August 26, 1723, Leeuwenhoek was visited by many personalities of the time, including Peter I of Russia, James II of England and Frederick II of Prussia. After Antonie Philips Van Leeuwenhoek's death, her daughter was entitled to everything Antonie owned, she donated all her microscopes and specimens; The list included 250 finished microscopes, 200 mounted species and a box of 26 pure silver pieces. Antonie's daughter donated everything to the Royal Society of England. Leeuwenhoek was advanced for his time and helped shape what science is today. Thanks to everything he discovered during his life, he was called the father of microbiology...