Celebrated author Bill Bryson will give a lecture in the Great Hall at the Guildhall in honour of the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society.
Bill Bryson is the internationally bestselling author of many books, including Mother Tongue, Notes from a Big Country, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and A Short History of Nearly Everything, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, won the Aventis Prize for Science Books in 2004 and was awarded the Descartes Science Communication Prize in 2005.
Bio
Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is a journalist, humorist and travel writer. Bill Bryson's bestselling books include A Walk in the Woods, Notes from a Small Island, In a Sunburned Country, Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words, A Short History of Nearly Everything, which earned him the 2004 Aventis Prize, and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.
Royal Society (of London for Improving Natural Knowledge)
Leading scientific society in Britain and the oldest national scientific society in the world. Founded in 1660, its early members included Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren, Isaac Newton, and Edmond Halley. It has long provided an impetus to scientific thought and research in the U.K., and its achievements have become internationally famous. The society's Philosophical Transactions, the oldest scientific periodical in continuous publication, has published papers since 1665. The society awards several prizes, the most prestigious being the Copley Medal. At the beginning of the 21st century, the society had some 1,300 fellows and 130 foreign members.
Give me a historical break, Royal Society started by Masons Bacon Hooke, Darwin family was in the Royal Society since Newton another Mason Isaac Newton the next Presedent of The society after Masonic Hooke, Benjamin Franklin the master Mason of 3 major odges in Paris, like washington a 33 degree mason, Franklin studied in France with other Masons. horrible representative, the lightening story is ficton. Please read Robert Lomas Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science. Charles the 2nd sponsored the society also a monarch Mason. Maybe some one can tell me why the Mason connection is so widley ignored. The founders of the society are Mr. Wren,Mr. Boyle, Mr. Bruce, Sir Robert Moray Sir Paul Neile Dr. Wilkins Dr. Goddard Dr. Petty Mr. Ball Mr. Rooke Mr. Hill, all Masons All first 3 presidents in the western hemisphere were Masons many of the members.
It is a shame that science funding will be cut because of the financial crisis, but what's more of a shame is that science will be cut while the much larger entitlement programs won't be touched. The Royal Society will starve for funds so that soccer hooligans can stay on the dole and Britain can maintain its crappy national healtcare system. Make the tough choices now before you become Greece or France!