Royal Society Opens Its Archives From 1665 to Present

The Royal Society, the national academy of science of the UK, last week made its complete archive of scientific journals freely available for the first time in its 340 year history. Online access is free for the first two months, starting from its opening day September 14. The archives contain articles from as far back as 1665, including reports on Benjamin Franklin's experiments with kites and electricity (right), Edmund Stone's discovery of aspirin from willow bark, and a performance before the society by the young prodigy Mozart in the year 1770, when he was eight years old. Until now, the online archive contained articles going back to only 1997. The free access period will end in December at which time interested readers may access articles as part of a Royal Society journal subscription or on a pay-per-view basis.