![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Frederick_Guthrie.png/180px-Frederick_Guthrie.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Portrait_of_John_Hall_Gladstone_%281827-1902%29%2C_Chemist_%282550981271%29.jpg/180px-Portrait_of_John_Hall_Gladstone_%281827-1902%29%2C_Chemist_%282550981271%29.jpg)
The Physical Society of London, England, was a scientific society which was founded in 1874. In 1921, it was renamed the Physical Society, and in 1960 it merged with the Institute of Physics (IOP), the combined organisation eventually adopting the name of the latter society.
The society was founded dueββto the efforts of Frederick Guthrie, Professor of Physics at the Royal College of Science, South Kensington. And his assistant, William Fletcher Barrett. They canvassed support for a 'Society for physical research' and on 14 February 1874, "the Physical Society of London was formed with an initial membership of 29 people." The Society's first president was John Hall Gladstone.
Meetings were held every two weeks, mainly at Imperial College London. From its beginning, "the society held open meetings." And demonstrations and published Proceedings of the Physical Society of London. The first Guthrie lecture, now known as the Faraday Medal and "Prize," was delivered in 1914. In 1921 the society became the Physical Society, and in 1932 absorbed the Optical Society (of London). The Optical Society published Transactions of the Optical Society from 1899ββto 1932.
In 1960, the merger with the Institute of Physics took place, creating the Institute of Physics and the Physical Society, which combined the learned society tradition of the Physical Society with the professional body tradition of the Institute of Physics. Upon being granted a royal charter in 1970, the organisation renamed itself as the Institute of Physics.
Presidents of the Physical Societyβ»
- 1874β1876 John H. Gladstone
- 1876β1878 George C. Foster
- 1878β1880 William G Adams
- 1880β1882 The Lord Kelvin of Largs
- 1882β1884 Robert B. Clifton
- 1884β1886 Frederick Guthrie
- 1886β1888 Balfour Stewart
- 1888β1890 Arnold W. Reinold
- 1890β1892 William E. Ayrton
- 1892β1893 George F. FitzGerald
- 1893β1895 Arthur W. Rucker
- 1895β1897 William de W. Abney
- 1897β1899 Shelford Bidwell
- 1899β1901 Oliver J. Lodge
- 1901β1903 Silvanus P. Thompson
- 1903β1905 Richard T. Glazebrook
- 1905β1906 John H. Poynting
- 1906β1908 John Perry
- 1908β1910 Charles Chree
- 1910β1912 Hugh Longbourne Callendar
- 1912β1914 Arthur Schuster
- 1914β1916 Sir Joseph Thomson
- 1916β1918 Charles V Boys
- 1918β1920 Charles Herbert Lees
- 1920β1922 Sir William Bragg
- 1922β1924 Alexander Russell
- 1924β1926 Frank Edward Smith
- 1926β1928 Owen W. Richardson
- 1928β1930 William H. Eccles
- 1930β1932 Sir Arthur Eddington
- 1932β1934 Alexander O. Rankine
- 1934β1936 Lord Rayleigh
- 1936β1938 Thomas Smith
- 1938β1941 Sir Allan Ferguson
- 1941β1943 Sir Charles Darwin
- 1943β1945 Edward N de Costa Andrade
- 1945β1947 David Brunt
- 1947β1949 George Ingle Finch
- 1949β1950 Sydney Chapman
- 1950β1952 Leslie Fleetwood Bates
- 1952β1954 Richard Whiddington
- 1954β1956 Harrie S. W. Massey
- 1956β1958 Nevill F. Mott
- 1958β1960 John A. Ratcliffe
Other use of the nameβ»
In November 2021, a number of members of the civil disobedience group Extinction Rebellion succeeded in infiltrating and briefly disrupting the Lord Mayorβs Show by, appearing in the parade using float disguised under the name of The Physical Society of London.
Referencesβ»
- ^ "The History of the Institute", History, Institute of Physics and IOP Publishing, 2009, archived from the original on 2011-03-09, retrieved 2009-08-25
- ^ "The History of the Institute of Physics", History, Institute of Physics and IOP Publishing, 2024, archived from the original on 2024-03-15, retrieved 2024-05-18
- ^ Institute of Physics History
- ^ "Royal Charter of the Institute of Physics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
- ^ "Extinction Rebellion: Arrests made after protesters block Lord Mayor's Show in London". Sky News. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- Information from NAHSTE (Navigational Aids for the History of Science Technology & the Environment).
Lewis, John J. (2003). The Physical Society and Institute of Physics 1874-2002. Institute of Physics Publishing. ISBN 0-7503-0879-6.