Robert Hooke discovered the cell wall in 1665.
Hooke, an English scientist, observed the cell walls of cork using an early microscope. He published his observations in his book Micrographia, where he coined the term "cells" to describe the small, box-like compartments he saw. While Hooke only observed the dead cell walls of the cork and not the living contents of the cells, his discovery was a foundational step in the development of cell theory. He did not discover the cell itself, but the structure surrounding it.
While Hooke is credited with the discovery of the cell wall, it's important to note that his observations were limited to dead plant cells. Later scientists would build upon his work to understand the function and composition of the cell wall in living cells.
