Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Tracking key historical discoveries in microbiology and medicine is a common requirement in biotechnology exams.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. In 1796, the English physician Edward Jenner developed the first successful vaccine.
2. He observed that milkmaids who contracted cowpox were immune to smallpox. He inoculated a young boy with fluid from a cowpox pustule, and the boy was subsequently protected against smallpox infection.
3. This work laid the foundation for modern immunology and led to the eradication of smallpox.
4. Louis Pasteur later expanded on Jenner's work, developing rabies and anthrax vaccines and coining the term "vaccine" (from the Latin vacca, meaning cow) to honor Jenner's discovery.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The vaccine was invented by Edward Jenner.