13 Facts About Zacharias Janssen

Zacharias Janssen's parents were Hans Martens and Maeyken Meertens, both probably from Antwerp, Belgium.

Zacharias Janssen grew up with his sister Sara in Middelburg, at the time the second most important city of the Netherlands.

Zacharias Janssen was known as a "street seller" who was constantly in trouble with the local authorities.

In 1615 Zacharias Janssen was appointed guardian of two children of Lowys Lowyssen "geseyt Henricxen brilmakers".

Zacharias Janssen worked for some time in the very competitive and secretive trade of spectacle-making and at one time lived next door to Middelburg spectacle maker Hans Lippershey, who is claimed to have invented the telescope.

The claim that Zacharias Janssen invented the telescope and the microscope dates back to the year 1655.

Zacharias Janssen had a local magistrate in Middelburg follow up on a 45 year old recollection of a spectacle maker named "Hans" who told a young Boreel in 1610 about inventing the telescope.

Boreel's conclusion that Zacharias Janssen invented the telescope a little ahead of spectacle maker Hans Lippershey was adopted by Pierre Borel in his 1656 book on the subject.

In Boreel's investigation Johannes claimed his father, Zacharias Janssen, invented the compound microscope in 1590.

Zacharias Janssen grew up right next to the Middelburg mint where his brother-in-law worked.

Zacharias Janssen fled to the neighbouring village of Arnemuiden to avoid the high penalties for counterfeiting coins.

Thanks to this, the process was delayed to such an extent that Zacharias Janssen was able to flee again.

Zacharias Janssen's life was documented by the many investigations on the subject before the Second World War.