In 1665, Hooke used an early compound microscope to observe thin slices of cork. He noticed small, box-like compartments that reminded him of the cells in a monastery, and he named them "cells".
While Hooke's observations were the first to describe cells, it's important to note that he was not the first to see them. Other scientists had likely observed cells before him, but Hooke was the first to publish his findings and give them the name "cells".
