Timeline: Discovery History of Cell Division Knowledge

Year	Scientist(s)	Discovery / Contribution
1838–1839	Schleiden & Schwann	Cell theory: all organisms made of cells; cells arise from pre-existing cells (Virchow, 1855)
1842	Carl Nägeli	First described cell division in plant cells microscopically
1873	Anton Schneider	First described mitosis and chromosome movements in animal cells
1879	Walther Flemming	Named "mitosis" and described chromatin; observed chromosome splitting in anaphase
1882	Walther Flemming	Published "Zellsubstanz, Kern und Zelltheilung" — systematic description of mitosis
1887	August Weismann	Predicted the necessity of a reductional division for sexual reproduction (before meiosis was described)
1888	Eduard Strasburger	Described mitosis in plant cells; Wilhelm Waldeyer coined term "chromosome"
1890	Theodor Boveri	Described the continuity of chromosomes; proposed their role in heredity
1900	E.L. Mark & others	Independent descriptions of meiosis in various organisms
1900–1902	Farmer & Moore	Coined the term "meiosis" (from Greek "meioun" = to lessen)
1903	Walter Sutton & Theodor Boveri	Chromosome theory of heredity — chromosomes carry genes; meiosis explains Mendelian ratios
1951	Howard & Pelc	Demonstrated discrete phases of the cell cycle; coined S phase terminology using autoradiography
1970s	Mazia, Hartwell, Nurse, Hunt	Discovery of cell cycle regulation, MPF (Maturation Promoting Factor), cyclins, CDKs
2001	Nobel Prize	Hartwell, Hunt, and Nurse awarded Nobel for discoveries in cell cycle control