The origins of the Royal Society lie in a 1660 “invisible college” of natural philosophers and physicians. The very first “learned society” meeting was held on 28 November 1660, following a lecture at Gresham College by Christopher Wren. Joined by other leading polymaths including Robert Boyle and John Wilkins, the group soon received royal approval, and from 1663 it would be known as 'The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge”.

The early years of the Society saw revolutionary advancements in the conduct and communication of science. The first issue of the Society’s journal, ‘Philosophical Transactions, was published in 1665. It is now the oldest continuously-published science journal in the world.

Leading scientific figures of the past four centuries can all be found among the 8,000 Fellows elected to the Society to date, including Newton, Darwin, Einstein and Hawking. and beyond, pioneers and paragons in their fields are elected by their peers. Over time, the criteria for, and transparency of election to the Fellowship became stricter, and Fellows were elected by their peers solely on the merit of their scientific work. The first female Fellows were elected in 1945 – Dorothy Hodgkin, elected in 1947, remains Britain’s only female Nobel Prize-winning scientist.

Today, the Royal Society remains the UK’s national science academy and a Fellowship of over 1,600 of the world’s leading scientists.