The Royal Society

The Royal Society was founded on 28 November 1660 by twelve men who wished to establish 'a College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical Experimental Learning'. Although initially unnamed, the Society was referred to as The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge in a Royal Charter of 1663. The Society, which included the Gresham Professor of Astronomy, Christopher Wren, met weekly to discuss what would now be called scientific topics and witness experiments, appointing Robert Hooke as the first Curator of Experiments.

In 1665, the Society published its first journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, which is now the oldest scientific journal in continuous publication. From the beginning, fellows of the Society were elected, although most were not professional scientists, and in 1847, the Society decided that fellows would be elected solely on the merit of their scientific work. Since 1731, the Society has rewarded outstanding scientific achievement through its medals and prizes, and currently makes seventeen awards each year. In 1850, a government grant system was introduced while still allowing the Society to maintain its autonomy.

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