Royal Society

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Royal Society (of London for Improving Natural Knowledge) summary

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History & Society

Royal Society

British science society

Also known as: Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge

Written by Michael Hunter

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 14, 2024 • Article History

Royal Society

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Category: History & Society

In full:: Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge

Date:: November 28, 1660

Areas Of Involvement:: science

Related People:: Isaac Newton; Christopher Wren; Ernest Rutherford; Sir Humphry Davy; Robert Boyle

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Royal Society, the oldest national scientific society in the world and the leading national organization for the promotion of scientific research in Britain. The Royal Society originated on November 28, 1660, when 12 men met after a lecture at Gresham College, London, by Christopher Wren (then professor of astronomy at the college) and resolved to set up “a Colledge for the promoting of Physico-Mathematicall Experimentall Learning.” Those present included the scientists Robert Boyle and Bishop John Wilkins and the courtiers Sir Robert Moray and William, 2nd Viscount Brouncker. (Brouncker was to become the Royal Society’s first president.) The initiative had ...(100 of 637 words)

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