Robert Hooke’s life of an inventing genius flourished during the Scientific Revolution. Born in England, Hooke is known for many inventions and discoveries, including his cell theory, the anatomy of plats, the law of elasticity, the microscope, and his theory of the moon’s features.1 All of these observations are written in Micrographia, where Hooke says, “by the help of microscopes, there is nothing so small, as to escape our inquiry; hence there is a new visible World discovered.”
Also in his book, he displayed detailed drawing of insects and plants using a microscope and perfected Galileo’s telescope in order to explain how the moon’s feature could be caused by volcanic action. 3 During his time at Oxford, he was the assistant of Robert Boyle, where he mastered chemistry and was able to become part of the Royal Society of London. Hooke became the centre of new scientific discovery and discussion as the Curator of Experiments, which led him to the law of elasticity. Robert Hooke changed the course of science through his constant experiments of the natural world.
An example of this is being known as the first scientific meteorologist, by designing a thermometer and inventing a hydrometer, barometer, and a weather clock that recorded readings of the weather. Robert Hooke’s life ended in 1703, yet his ideas and legacies still are alive. People of all ages learn about the cell, the law of elasticity led to the study of materials for building structures, and every morning the weather report is shown. As Robert Hooke 1 Allan Chapman, “Robert Hook and the Art of Experiment in Restoration of England,” England’s Leonardo, last modified July 25, 2011, said, there is always more to study, “All the possible appearances of things, may come to be more fully discovered.”
