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Engines of our Ingenuity – http://home/creative13/domains/lunarsociety.org.uk/public_html.uh.edu/engines/
The Society engages with speakers of national and international renown including scientists, engineers, bankers, business leaders, social and policy makers, politicians, leaders of local authorities, universities and local media through its programme of events. Past speakers have included:The leading figure behind the establishment of the society as a more organised body during this early period seems to have been Matthew Boulton: his home at Soho House in Handsworth was the principal venue for meetings, and in 1776 he is recorded as planning "to make many Motions to the Members respecting new Laws, and regulations, such as will tend to prevent the decline of a society which I hope will be lasting." [36] This reliance on Boulton was also to prove a weakness, however, as the period coincided with the peak of his work building up his steam engine business and he was frequently absent. Although the 1770s was one of the society's richest eras in terms of its collaborative achievements, the society's meetings declined from regular occurrences in 1775 to infrequent ones by the end of the decade. [37] Heyday of the Society 1780–1789 [ edit ] Joseph Priestley, c. 1783 The walk and guide highlights the leading role Birmingham played in the creation of the modern world through the scientific discoveries, shared conversations and informal meetings of a remarkable group of friends. William Murdoch (1731 – 1802), worked for Boulton and Watt and was the inventor of the gas light. He ended his days living at the court of the Shah of Persia, where he was believed to be an incarnation of Marduk, the ancient god of light. The Lunar Society Heritage Trail Leaflet provides visitors and local residents with an introduction to the Lunar Society and 18th Century Birmingham by following in its members’ footsteps.
Can you imagine being in a room with this group -- with these makers of the Industrial Revolution -- with these people genuinely asking how to improve their world? The historian Jacob Bronowski looks at the Lunar Society and says, The nature of the group was to change significantly with the move to Birmingham in 1765 of the Scottish physician William Small, who had been Professor of Natural Philosophy at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. There he had taught and been a major influence over Thomas Jefferson, and had formed the focus of a local group of intellectuals. His arrival with a letter of introduction to Matthew Boulton from Benjamin Franklin was to have a galvanising effect on the existing circle, which began to explicitly identify itself as a group and actively started to attract new members. [29] Among memorials to the Society and its members are the Moonstones; two statues of Watt and a statue of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch by William Bloye; and the museum at Soho House – all in Birmingham.
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Ben Franklin set the pattern. The American Philosophical Society started out as his study group. Of course, Franklin's life was centered both on revolution and on tying scientific knowledge to practical social change. The society also lost several major figures over the period: Richard Lovell Edgeworth ceased regular involvement in the society's activities when he returned to Ireland in 1782, [41] John Whitehurst died in London in 1788, [41] and Thomas Day died the following year. [41] Most significantly, Erasmus Darwin moved to Derby in 1781, but although he complained of being "cut off from the milk of science", he continued to attend Lunar Society meetings at least until 1788. [42] Decline 1789–1813 [ edit ] The Priestley riots of 1791 Musson, Albert Edward; Robinson, Eric (1969), Science and Technology in the Industrial Revolution, Manchester: Manchester University Press, ISBN 0-7190-0370-9 , retrieved 26 January 2009 Today, the society is an informal academic association open to both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professional academics, from the University of Birmingham. The Lunar Society evolved through various degrees of organisation over a period of up to fifty years, but was only ever an informal group. No constitution, minutes, publications or membership lists survive from any period, and evidence of its existence and activities is found only in the correspondence and notes of those associated with it. [1] Historians therefore disagree on what qualifies as membership of the Lunar Society, who can be considered to have been members, and even when the society can be said to have existed. [2] Josiah Wedgwood, for example, is described by some commentators as being one of five "principal members" of the society, [3] while others consider that he "cannot be recognized as [a] full member" at all. [4] Dates given for the establishment of the society range from "sometime before 1760" [5] to 1775. [6] Some historians argue that it had ceased to exist by 1791; [7] others that it was still operating as late as 1813. [6]
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