Robert Hooke (July 18, 1635-March 3, 1703) was a 17th-century "natural philosopher"-an early scientist-noted for a variety of observations of the natural world. But perhaps his most notable discovery came in 1665 when he looked at a sliver of cork through a microscope lens and discovered cells. Fast Facts: Robert Hooke Known For: Experiments with a microscope, including the discovery of cells, and coining of the term Born: July 18, 1635 in Freshwater, the Isle of Wight, England Parents: John Hooke, vicar of Freshwater and his second wife Cecily Gyles Died: March 3, 1703 in London Education: Westminster in London, and Christ Church at Oxford, as a laboratory assistant of Robert Boyle Published Works: Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquiries Thereupon Early Life Robert Hooke was born July 18, 1635, in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England, the son of the vicar of Freshwater John Hooke and his second wife Cecily Gates.
