![]() The Art of Café Society-looks at the origins of cafés and how they contributed to enlightened thought and celebrates the beautiful cafés of the 19th century. Is Reading Books a Dying Art-explores the difference between concentrated reading of long texts and scanning of multiple sources of short text on the web. ![]() Derivative works by David James based on photo by Wehwalt Related articles that you might enjoyĬan Another Cup of Coffee Improve Your Writing?-an examination of how coffee affects creativity and how English Coffeehouses helped start the Enlightenment. Soho House in Handsworth, Birmingham, a regular venue for meetings of the Lunar Society. One by one, black carriages arrived and then vanished into the night … until the next full moon. Portrait of Benjamin FranklinĪnother world-changing meeting had finally come to a close and the Lunar Society left Boulton’s home. With the lunarticks, he had hit the jackpot, and returned to Birmingham in 1760 to conduct experiments with electricity at Boulton’s house. There, a co-conspirator named Benjamin Franklin helped spread their evil, industrial ways.įranklin was introduced to the Lunar Society when he traveled to Birmingham, England, in 1758, with the intention of improving “Acquaintance among Persons of Influence”. Their influence spread far and wide in a network that reached the American colonies. Josiah Wedgwood with metal frame by Matthew Boulton. Belt Clasp with a Female Making a Sacrifice. James Watt and the Steam Engine by James Eckford Lauder. Every light bulb in existence bears his name-”watt”, the unit of power. It powered the industrial revolution not just in Britain, but around the world. Watt modified Newcomen’s steam engine, improving it’s efficiency and cost-effectiveness. They called themselves “lunarticks” (a play on the word lunatics), and later, the “Lunar Society” because they only met on days with a full moon, claiming that it provided enough light for a safer journey home.īut in truth, the full moon inspired their wicked genius and they fed off each other’s intelligence like a group of vampires feeding off blood.įor it was the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and members of the Lunar Society were developing concepts and techniques in science, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport that would change the world.īoulton and Darwin were not alone-they had recruited others to join their Lunar Society, including Boulton’s own business partner, James Watt. Erasmus Darwin by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1770 Grandfather of the infamous evolutionary Charles Darwin, Erasmus Darwin’s poems included stanzas about natural history, and a statement of evolution and the relatedness of all forms of life. Erasmus Darwin was an English physician, natural philosopher, physiologist, and slave-trade abolitionist. Credit īoulton’s co-conspirator was a wickedly clever man from one of the most notorious families in history-the Darwins. From humble beginnings, he expanded his father’s buckle-making business into the largest manufacturing complex in the world-the Soho Manufactory- producing all manner of fine decorative metal work. Credit Birmingham Museums Trustīoulton was guilty of industrial revolution on a grand scale. The main ringleader was an English manufacturer named Matthew Boulton. Dubbed the Richard Branson of his day, Boulton harnessed the newest technology-steam power-to mechanize factories and mills. He supplied the Royal Mint with steam-powered machines to foil the scourge of counterfeiters that had taken over Britain’s coinage-and made enough new copper coins to pay real wages to the working poor across Britain. For these were members of a society of intellectuals called the “lunarticks”, and they gathered to do something that, today, we find highly disagreeable.īut this was no idle chit chat-their conversations were about things the world had never seen. Were these men doing the work of Satan? Were they sprouting thick hair and long pointed teeth? Were they preparing to go hunting for human flesh? The local police received many worrying reports: the cook heard howls of laughter the gardener remembered squeals of excitement and the butler reported seeing flashes of light. Derivative works by David James based on photo by Wehwalt ![]()
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