science · 20 September 1848 · 176 years ago
In 1848, the first meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science was held at noon, in the library of the Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The organization superceded the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists, as many of its members formed the new society. The first president to be elected was William Redfield, a New York, meteorologist and geologist also interested in the development of railways and steamships. The goal of the Association recorded in its original Rules and Objects included “to give a stronger and more general impulse, and a more systematic direction to scientific research in our country; and to procure for the labours of scientific men, increased facilities and a wider usefulness.” Later in the day, the members began five days of scientific sessions.
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