Like, gee, 17th Century manuscripts from the Royal Society, written by Robert Hooke?
A long-lost 17th century manuscript charting the birth of modern science has been found gathering dust in a cupboard in a Hampshire home. Filled with crabby italics and acerbic asides, the 520 or so yellowing and stained pages are the handwritten minutes of the Royal Society as recorded by the brilliant scientist Robert Hooke, one of the society's original fellows and curator of experiments.The notes describe in detail some of the most astounding and outlandish scientific thinking from meetings of the society between 1661 to 1682. There is the very earliest work with microscopes, confirming the first sightings of sperm and micro-organisms. There is correspondence with Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Christopher Wren over the nature of gravity, with the latter's proposal to fire bullets into the air to see where they might drop. And there is a page that lays to rest the bitter controversy over who designed the watch that would eventually lead to the first measurements of longitude.
Sheesh. All I ever find in long-unopened cupboards are mouse droppings.
Comments
I do hope they manage to find someone to buy it for the Royal Society, instead of it being locked away in some private collection (unless that private collection was mine of course).
Posted by: Kristjan Wager
| February 13, 2006 10:41 AM
Kristjan said:
Or at the very least, scan a copy and download it to the Web.
Posted by: Dave S.
| February 13, 2006 10:46 AM