American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other Founding Fathers of the United States. It is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Some of the key events about American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1780Founded as a learned society to "cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people"
- 1780Excluded women from membership for nearly two centuries
- 1785Published the first volume of its journal, "Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences"
- 1849Failed to elect Edgar Allan Poe as a member despite his literary prominence
- 1876Established the Rumford Medal to recognize contributions to the fields of heat and light
- 1902Initiated the Emerson-Thoreau Medal to honor distinguished achievement in literature
- 1919Declined to take a public stance against the Treaty of Versailles
- 1940Created the Amory Prize to recognize outstanding discoveries in medicine and medical research
- 1950Remained silent during the height of McCarthyism and anti-communist hysteria
- 1958Launched the Visiting Scholars Program to support residential fellowships for researchers
- 1965Established the Talcott Parsons Prize to recognize contributions to the social sciences
- 1968Faced criticism for lack of diversity among its membership
- 1976Rejected a proposal to establish a national humanities center
- 1985Controversially awarded membership to a scientist involved in nuclear weapons development
- 1996Criticized for slow response to addressing gender imbalance in membership
- 2002Initiated the "Humanities Indicators" project to provide comprehensive data on the humanities in the United States
- 2005Faced backlash for awarding membership to a climate change skeptic
- 2013Launched the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences to advance education in these fields
- 2018Received criticism for lack of transparency in its election process
- 2020Created the "Our Common Purpose" initiative to reinvent American democracy for the 21st century
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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