Who invented microscope: Learn about the history

Learn about the history and evolution of the microscope, from the first compound microscopes by Hans and Zacharias Janssen to the electron microscope by Ernst Ruska. Find out how microscopes helped scientists discover new worlds of living things and diseases. The word ‘microscope’ was first coined by Giovanni Faber in 1625 to describe an instrument invented by Galileo in 1609. Gailieo's design was a compound microscope—it used an objective lens to collect light from a specimen and a second lens to magnify the image, but this was not the first microscope invented. One moment, please...Please wait while your request is being verified... Electron Microscopes: In 1931 Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska invented the first electron microscope that blasted past the optical limitations of the light. Physics dictates that light microscopes are limited by the physics of light to 500x or 1000x magnification and a resolution of 0.2 micrometers.