An autobiography of Robert Hooke
Early life:
My name is Robert Hooke and I was born on July 28, 1635. In freshwater, of the United Kingdom. My parents were Cecily Gyles and John Hooke, an Anglican priest. My father’s brothers were also priests. He expected me to join the church as well. John had four children, with me being the youngest. I was mostly home schooled, and while as a young boy my father noticed that I was incredibly talented at intricate work. He told me that I might become a clock maker or an artist. My father died in 1648, and my inheritance was 40 pounds which was quite a large amount of money. At 13 I went to Westminster school in London to study mechanics and mathematics. In 1653 at age 18, I went to the University of Oxford’s Christ Church College. There I studied experimental science and became a chorister.
Career:
In 1655 I became an assistant to Robert Boyle, one of the founders of modern biology. I worked with him for seven years and helped him with discovering Boyle’s law by designing the equipment he used. In 1660, I became a member of the Royal Society and became the Society’s Curator of Experiments. I moved from Oxford to London and held my position for forty years. In 1657 I invented the anchor escapement which greatly improved the pendulum clock. In 1660 I discovered Hooke’s law. This law states that the tension force in a spring increases in direct proportion to the length it’s stretched to. In 1665 I published my first ever scientific book: Micrographia. That same year I built a compound microscope with a new screw-operated focusing mechanism, and improved upon the current one with lighting. I used this microscope to discover the first known microorganisms, in the form of microscopic fungi. I also discovered plant cells that year after observing the bark of a cork tree. I even analyzed fossilized wood and discovered that fossils had once been living creatures whose cells had become minimized. I did all of this in one year, it’s quite hard to believe honestly. In 1670 I gave a lecture on gravity. Stating that gravity applied to all celestial bodies and that the force of gravity between bodies decreases with the distance between them. If the force were to be removed, the celestial bodies would move in straight lines. I also eventually picked up a side career as an architect.
One of my quotes is “By the help of microscopes, there is nothing so small, as to escape our inquiry; hence there is a new visible world discovered to the understanding.” Also a lot of people didn’t believe me at first about my scientific discoveries. I also had a feud with Issac Newton because in his book he mentioned his theories on gravitation, ideas which I helped him to create. However he did not give me any credit when I confronted him. He then attempted to erase my image by destroying any portraits that were left of me.
Why are my discoveries important:
My discoveries found in my book led the way for many future generations knowledge of microbiology, quantum physics, and nanotechnology. My discoveries of microorganisms inspired many others to study the same thing. Now we now things about cells and other microorganisms that weren’t even thought of back in my day. Without me modern medicine probably wouldn’t even exist today. I can truly say that my knowledge has had a profound impact on the world.
Death:
I’ve been told I have an illness and i’ll probably die soon. Doctors note: Robert Hooke has died at the age of 67 in London of England on March 3, 1703.
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