Seeing further: the story of science & the Royal Society — 1 JAMES GLEICK

1. 1. The Royal Society was founded in 1660 to promote experimental philosophy, a boundless curiosity about natural phenomena.
2. 2. Early Royal Society members compiled lists of questions for expeditions, such as measuring air pressure and pendulum behavior on Tenerife's peak.
3. 3. The Philosophical Transactions published reports of monstrous calves, strange ores, and odd medical cases, encouraging witnesses to share 'Observables'.
4. 4. Robert Moray's detailed study of tides in the Outer Hebrides highlighted the difficulty of understanding global phenomena from local observations.
5. 5. The Society's discourse included experiments on unicorn horns, spontaneous generation, and the nature of minerals, often blending science with folklore.
6. 6. Colonel James Long contributed numerous observations on insects, toads, and natural history, often to the point of wearying the minute-taker.
7. 7. Boyle's air pump experiments killed animals by vacuum, demonstrating respiration and the 'spring of the air'.
8. 8. Isaac Newton's 1672 letter on light and color revealed that white light is composed of different colored rays, a revolutionary discovery.
9. 9. Newton's dispute with Hooke over optics led him to withdraw from the Royal Society for years, focusing on alchemy and scripture.