Microbiology & Viral Replication: Major Case Studies & Paradigm Shifts
Encyclopedia/1. The Cosmos & The Natural World/5. Life Sciences • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
This timeline chronicles major milestones in microbiology and viral replication, from early observations of microorganisms to modern breakthroughs in gene editing and vaccine development, incorporating global contributions.
Chronological Storyline (42 Milestones)
300 BCE
Ancient Chinese Variolation
Early form of inoculation against smallpox practiced in China, using scabs from mild cases. #history #medicine
Ancient Chinese Variolation By Thomas Hickey, 1805 - [1][2], Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124606920
1665 CE
Robert Hooke Describes Microfungi
Robert Hooke's Micrographia includes drawings of microfungi, early microscopy of microbes. #science #history
Robert Hooke Describes Microfungi By Robert Hooke (1635-1703) - This image is available from the National Library of Wales, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7442137
1676 CE
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Discovers Bacteria
Leeuwenhoek observes 'animalcules' in dental plaque, first description of bacteria. #microbiology #history
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Discovers Bacteria By Jan Verkolje - http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/SK-A-957, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34320547
Spallanzani Refutes Spontaneous Generation By Rijksmuseum - http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.164733, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=183998186
May 14, 1796 CE
Edward Jenner Tests Smallpox Vaccine
Jenner inoculates James Phipps with cowpox, leading to first smallpox vaccine. #medicine #vaccine
Edward Jenner Tests Smallpox Vaccine By John Raphael Smith - [1] [2], originally uploaded to en by User:Magnus Manske, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31245
1857 CE
Pasteur Demonstrates Fermentation by Microbes
Louis Pasteur proves that yeast are living organisms responsible for fermentation. #microbiology #science
Pasteur Demonstrates Fermentation by Microbes By Paul Nadar - File:Louis Pasteur, foto av Paul Nadar.jpg, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28039885
Apr 7, 1864 CE
Pasteur Disproves Spontaneous Generation
Using swan-neck flasks, Pasteur definitively refutes spontaneous generation. #science #history
1867 CE
Lister Introduces Antiseptic Surgery
Joseph Lister uses carbolic acid to sterilize surgical instruments and wounds. #medicine #microbiology
Lister Introduces Antiseptic Surgery By Unknown author - Weltrundschau zu Reclams Universum 1902, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9647607
1876 CE
Koch Discovers Bacillus anthracis
Robert Koch shows that Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax, first proof of germ theory. #microbiology #history
Koch Discovers Bacillus anthracis By Unknown author - https://ihm.nlm.nih.gov/images/B16691, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1825905
1881 CE
Pasteur Develops Rabies Vaccine
Louis Pasteur creates an attenuated rabies vaccine, a breakthrough in virology. #vaccine #virology
Pasteur Develops Rabies Vaccine By Whispyhistory - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113048305
Mar 24, 1882 CE
Koch Identifies Tuberculosis Bacterium
Koch isolates Mycobacterium tuberculosis, leading to diagnostics and treatment. #microbiology #medicine
Koch Identifies Tuberculosis Bacterium By Photo Credit: Content Providers(s): CDC/Dr. George Kubica - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #4428. Note: Not all PHIL images are public domain; be sure to check copyright status and credit authors and content providers. العربية | Deutsch | English | македонски | slovenščina | +/−, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=422340
1884 CE
Metchnikoff Discovers Phagocytosis
Elie Metchnikoff describes phagocytosis by white blood cells, founding cellular immunology. #immunology #microbiology
Metchnikoff Discovers Phagocytosis By The Library of Congress - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.14791.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18495998
1884 CE
Gram Develops Gram Stain Technique
Hans Christian Gram introduces a differential staining method for bacteria. #microbiology #technique
Gram Develops Gram Stain Technique By Mikael Häggström, M.D. Author info - Reusing images- Conflicts of interest: None Mikael Häggström, M.D. - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139041868
1892 CE
Ivanovsky Discovers Filterable Agent for Tobacco Mosaic
Dmitri Ivanovsky shows that the tobacco mosaic disease agent passes through filters, later identified as a virus. #virology #history
Ivanovsky Discovers Filterable Agent for Tobacco Mosaic By Unknown author, PD-RU, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2472759
1897 CE
Ross Discovers Malaria Parasite in Mosquitoes
Ronald Ross demonstrates that Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria parasites. #medicine #parasitology
Ross Discovers Malaria Parasite in Mosquitoes By Unknown author - http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101427700, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108775
1898 CE
Beijerinck Coins 'Virus'
Martinus Beijerinck defines the concept of a filterable, reproducing entity (virus). #virology #history
Beijerinck Coins 'Virus' By Unknown author - https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/M0002348.html, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33668284
1910 CE
Ehrlich Develops Salvarsan
Paul Ehrlich introduces Salvarsan (arsphenamine), the first effective treatment for syphilis. #medicine #chemotherapy
Ehrlich Develops Salvarsan By Unknown author, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1054621
1911 CE
Rous Discovers Tumor Virus
Peyton Rous shows that a virus can cause sarcomas in chickens, first demonstration of a tumor virus. #virology #cancer
Rous Discovers Tumor Virus By Unknown - http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1966/, PD-Sweden, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34693247
1915 CE
Twort Discovers Bacteriophages
Frederick Twort observes a filterable agent that destroys bacteria, later called bacteriophages. #virology #microbiology
Twort Discovers Bacteriophages By Unknown author - Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, Vol. 7, No. 20. (Nov., 1951), pp. 504-517., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2517949
d'Herelle Characterizes Phages By [Service photo Institut Pasteur - Photothèque] - This file comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b32000224/f64, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37247789
1923 CE
BCG Vaccine Developed
Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin create the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis. #vaccine #medicine
BCG Vaccine Developed By Y tambe - Y tambe's file, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1827666
Sep 3, 1928 CE
Fleming Discovers Penicillin
Alexander Fleming observes that a mold (Penicillium notatum) inhibits bacterial growth. #antibiotics #microbiology
Fleming Discovers Penicillin By Official photographer - http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//32/media-32192/large.jpg This photograph TR 1468 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24436974
1931 CE
Electron Microscope Invented
Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll build the first transmission electron microscope, enabling visualization of viruses. #microscopy #virology
Electron Microscope Invented By J Brew, uploaded on the English-speaking Wikipedia by en:User:Hat'nCoat. - originally posted to Flickr as Electron Microscope Deutsches Museum, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5309032
1935 CE
Stanley Crystallizes Tobacco Mosaic Virus
Wendell Stanley crystallizes TMV, showing that viruses can be purified and studied chemically. #virology #biochemistry
Stanley Crystallizes Tobacco Mosaic Virus By Unknown author - http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1946/stanley.html, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18260423
1941 CE
Florey and Chain Mass-Produce Penicillin
Howard Florey and Ernst Chain develop methods to produce penicillin in large quantities. #antibiotics #medicine
Florey and Chain Mass-Produce Penicillin By Julian Smith - https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119635410
1944 CE
Avery Proves DNA Is Genetic Material
Oswald Avery and colleagues show that DNA from bacteria can transform other bacteria, proving DNA carries genetic information. #genetics #microbiology
Avery Proves DNA Is Genetic Material By Unknown author - https://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101584575X15, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3677045
1949 CE
Enders Grows Poliovirus in Cell Culture
John F. Enders, Thomas H. Weller, and Frederick C. Robbins successfully grow poliovirus in human tissue cultures. #virology #medicine
1952 CE
Hershey-Chase Experiment Confirms DNA as Genetic Material
Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase use bacteriophages to confirm that DNA is the genetic material. #genetics #virology
Hershey-Chase Experiment Confirms DNA as Genetic Material By Thomasione - Modified from German Wikipedia [1], GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15034881
Apr 25, 1953 CE
Watson and Crick Discover DNA Structure
James Watson and Francis Crick propose the double helix model of DNA, revolutionizing molecular biology and viral replication understanding. #genetics #molecularbiology
Watson and Crick Discover DNA Structure By Zephyris - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15027555
Apr 12, 1955 CE
Salk Polio Vaccine Declared Safe
The inactivated polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is declared safe and effective. #vaccine #medicine
Salk Polio Vaccine Declared Safe By USAID - USAID Bangladesh, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1021
1961 CE
Crick and Brenner Decipher Genetic Code Using Phages
Experiments with bacteriophages help crack the genetic code, linking nucleotide sequences to amino acids. #genetics #virology
Crick and Brenner Decipher Genetic Code Using Phages By The original uploader was Sverdrup at English Wikipedia. Vectorized by: User:VectorVoyager - Vectorization of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RNA-codon.png, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124414787
1970 CE
Reverse Transcriptase Discovered in Retroviruses
Howard Temin and David Baltimore independently discover reverse transcriptase in retroviruses. #virology #molecularbiology
Reverse Transcriptase Discovered in Retroviruses By Thomas Splettstoesser (www.scistyle.com) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33598425
Oct 13, 1976 CE
First Ebola Outbreak Identified
An outbreak of Ebola virus disease occurs in Sudan and Zaire, leading to the discovery of Ebola virus. #virology #outbreak
First Ebola Outbreak Identified By Photo Credit: Content Providers(s): CDC/Dr. Lyle Conrad - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #7042. Note: Not all PHIL images are public domain; be sure to check copyright status and credit authors and content providers. العربية | Deutsch | English | македонски | slovenščina | +/−, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=212727
May 20, 1983 CE
HIV Isolated
Luc Montagnier's team isolates a retrovirus later named HIV, the cause of AIDS. #virology #medicine
HIV Isolated By Photo Credit: C. Goldsmith Content Providers: CDC/ C. Goldsmith, P. Feorino, E. L. Palmer, W. R. McManus - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #10000. Note: Not all PHIL images are public domain; be sure to check copyright status and credit authors and content providers. العربية | Deutsch | English | македонски | slovenščina | +/−, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3909584
1985 CE
PCR Invented by Kary Mullis
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is developed, enabling rapid amplification of DNA sequences, crucial for detecting viruses. #biotechnology #molecularbiology
PCR Invented by Kary Mullis By Madprime - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2104468
1996 CE
HAART Introduced for HIV
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) dramatically reduces HIV viral load and improves survival. #medicine #virology
HAART Introduced for HIV By Our World In Data - https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gap-to-reaching-the-target-of-art, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=182972595
Feb 11, 2003 CE
SARS Coronavirus Identified
A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is identified as the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. #virology #epidemiology
SARS Coronavirus Identified By Photo Credit: Content Providers(s): CDC/C.S. Goldsmith - https://www.cdc.gov/sars/lab/images.html, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86419462
Oct 5, 2005 CE
1918 Influenza Virus Reconstructed
Scientists reconstruct the 1918 pandemic influenza virus from preserved samples, revealing its origins. #virology #pandemic
1918 Influenza Virus Reconstructed By Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine - Emergency hospital during influenza epidemic (NCP 1603), National Museum of Health and Medicine. https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20190923/mxfctter-museum-to-mark-historic-influenza-pandemic/1, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25513204
Jun 28, 2012 CE
CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing in Bacteria
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier show that CRISPR-Cas9 can be programmed to cut DNA, revolutionizing genetic engineering. #genetics #biotechnology
CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing in Bacteria By Boghog - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68597347
Mar 22, 2014 CE
West Africa Ebola Outbreak
The largest Ebola outbreak begins in Guinea, spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone. #virology #outbreak
West Africa Ebola Outbreak By ZeLonewolf - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36564671
Dec 31, 2019 CE
SARS-CoV-2 Emerges in Wuhan
A cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, leads to identification of SARS-CoV-2, causing the COVID-19 pandemic. #virology #pandemic
SARS-CoV-2 Emerges in Wuhan By Gustavo Basso - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gustavocb/49913440386, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112916636
Dec 11, 2020 CE
First mRNA Vaccines Authorized
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines receive emergency use authorization for COVID-19. #vaccine #biotechnology
First mRNA Vaccines Authorized By Lasse Folkersen og Ann-Louise Bergström - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110274951
