The Royal Society of London had its beginnings in the English
Civil War, which engulfed much of Great Britain in the middle of
the 17th century. In 1640, two years before the onset of civil
war, several individuals calling themselves "natural
philosophers" began holding regular meetings in private homes
and taverns. These meetings continued in erratic fashion during
the troubled civil war period, often centered on Gresham
College, to which many of them were connected. By 1658, life
under Cromwell's Commonwealth had compelled the natural
philosophers to suspend their meetings. Events began to move
swiftly in 1660, with the end of the Commonwealth and the
restoration of the Stuart monarchs. Meetings resumed, a Society
of Philosophers was founded, and in December, they obtained the
patronage of King Charles II. Thus the Royal Society of London
was born. Among the first Fellows of the Royal Society were
Christopher Wren, John Wallis, Robert Boyle, and Robert Hooke.
The years immediately following 1660 were produc