Giant leaps for mankind go online for Royal Society's 350th birthday

Published on Sunday 29 November 2009 22:44

LANDMARK moments in the history of science were celebrated online today to mark the 350th birthday of the Royal Society.

For the first time, original manuscripts of papers published by the world's oldest scientific institution have been made available to the public via the internet.

Among the highlights from the interactive "Trailblazing" site are a gruesome account of a 17th century blood transfusion, Sir Isaac Newton's landmark research on light and colour, and Benjamin Franklin's famous kite-flying experiment to identify the electrical nature of lightning in 1752.

Also included is a 1770 scientific study confirming the young Mozart as a musical child genius, and Professor Stephen Hawking's early writings on black holes.

They are among 60 articles chosen from among about 60,000 that have appeared in the Royal Society's journals.

The publications include Philosophical Transactions, the oldest continuously published scientific journal in the world.

Also featured on the site are insights from modern-day experts carrying on the work of giants in science such as Newton, Franklin, Robert Hooke and Michael Faraday.

The Royal Society's anniversary is being celebrated between November 2009 and November 2010.

Planned events include a nine-day science and arts festival next summer, a series of public lectures, debates and discussion meetings at the Society's London headquarters, and programmes in partnership with museums and galleries to explore the impact of science and the achievements of scientific "heroes".

Lord Rees, president of the Royal Society, said: "The scientific papers on Trailblazing represent a ceaseless quest by scientists over the centuries, many of them Fellows of the Royal Society, to test and build on our knowledge of humankind and the universe.

"Individually they represent those thrilling moments when science allows us to understand better and to see further.

"As it begins its 350th anniversary year, the Royal Society will not only be celebrating its proud history but looking to the future of science in the UK and in the rest of the world, as the great scientific questions that tested our predecessors are rapidly replaced by new and urgent scientific challenges.

"Throughout the year, the Royal Society will be running a nationwide programme of events and activities, many in conjunction with other scientific and cultural institutions, to inspire scientists, families, young people and interested members of the public alike to see further into science."

The Royal Society started out as an "invisible college" of thinkers who began meeting in the mid-1640s to discuss the ideas of the influential philosopher and pioneer scientist Sir Francis Bacon.

Its official foundation date is 28 November, 1660, when 12 members met at Gresham College.

Thereafter the Society met weekly to witness experiments and discuss scientific topics.

The name "Royal Society" first appeared in print in 1661.