Royal Society places historic papers online

Dec 1, 2009 Source: presstv.ir

London's Royal Society is making 60 of its most memorable research papers and manuscripts public to mark its 350th opening anniversary.

Founded in London in 1660, the Royal Society is considered one of the world's oldest scientific institutions, the BBC reported.

The documents, which were first published in the society's journal, Philosophical Transactions, were selected from 60,000 printed papers since 1665 when the journal was founded.

Philosophical Transactions is known as the world's oldest continuously published scientific periodical.

Benjamin Franklin's account of his kite-flying experiment and Sir Isaac Newton's article on white light are among the items available on the society's online archive Trailblazing.

"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," the Royal Society president Lord Rees said.

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

The Royal Society was founded on Nov. 28, 1660 as a center for discussing science and philosophy and for gathering free thinkers of the time to debate and witness experiments on a weekly basis.

The society has planned a series of events to mark its 350th anniversary, including a nine-day science and arts festival next summer and a series of public lectures and debates at its London headquarters.

Article from: PressTV.ir