Zacharias Janssen | |
|---|---|
 Zacharias Janssen | |
| Born | 1585 (1580) |
| Died | Given as before 1632 (sometimes 1638) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Other names | Zacharias Janssen, Sacharias Jansen |
| Occupation | Spectacle-maker (sometimes counterfeiter) |
| Known for | Possible inventor of the microscope and the telescope (posthumous claim) |
| Parents |
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Zacharias Janssen; also Zacharias Jansen or Sacharias Jansen; 1585 – pre-1632[1]) was a Dutch spectacle-maker who lived most of his life in Middelburg. He is associated with the invention of the first optical telescope and/or the first truly compound microscope, but these claims (made 20 years after his death) may be fabrications put forward by his son.
- ^ Birth dates range from 1580 to 1588, death given as late as 1638.