Celebrating 350 years of Philosophical Transactions: physical sciences papers

This theme issue of Philosophical Transactions A has been produced as an integral component of the Royal Society’s celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the publication of the first issue of Philosophical Transactions, the world’s oldest scientific journal. The issue contains 16 commentaries, each of which is focused on a major scientific advance in the physical, mathematical or engineering sciences since 1665 that was published in Philosophical Transactions. A corresponding theme issue of the journal’s biological sciences counterpart, Philosophical Transactions B, has also been produced [1]. The Royal Society booklet ‘Philosophical Transactions: 350 years of publishing at the Royal Society (1665– 2015)’ [2] provides a fascinating account of the origins of Philosophical Transactions and its evolution, together with some biographical details of the key individuals involved. On 6 March 1665, the first issue of Philosophical Transactions was published under the visionary editorship of Henry Oldenburg, who was also the Secretary of the Society. Oldenburg was born and educated in Bremen and then in Utrecht and Oxford. By ca 1660 Oldenburg was settled in London, following a varied career which included tutoring sons of English noblemen and being engaged in diplomatic missions as Bremen’s envoy to Oliver Cromwell. The early issues of the journal were compiled by Oldenburg and consisted of edited aspects of his correspondence, reviews and summaries of recently published books, together with accounts of observations and experiments from natural philosophers based in the UK and mainland Europe. The information presented in Volume 1 [3] is fascinating. The text commences with a ‘Dedicatory Epistle’ to the Royal Society by Oldenburg that concludes with the solicitations: The Great God prosper You in the Noble Engagement of Dispersing the true Lustre of his Glorious Works, and the Happy Inventions of obliging Men all over the World, to the General Benefit of All Mankind.