The Lunar Men: The Friends Who Made the Future 1730-1810

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Revolutionaries have always gathered in small groups. The revolutions of the late 18th century were no exception. They took many forms, but they were all fomented in study groups. And these groups invariably got around to a common question: how could science and technology be made to serve society? Before the French Revolution, intellectuals -- both men and women -- met in salons to talk about scientific and social issues. And, of course, the English Industrial Revolution was centered on those ideas. Jones, Peter M. (2008), Industrial Enlightenment: Science, technology and culture in Birmingham and the West Midlands, 1760–1820, Manchester: Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-0-7190-7770-8 It comes as a jolt to see these dedicated capitalists as part of a revolutionary cabal. But capitalism was revolution in the late eighteenth century. When this group of writers, intellectuals, scientists, and industrialists consciously joined forces, it was precisely because they meant to shape a decent life for everyone.

Today, let's drop in on a remarkable gathering. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them. Cornish chemist and inventor, Sir Humphry Davy, said of Watt, “Those who consider James Watt only as a great practical mechanic form a very erroneous idea of his character; he was equally distinguished as a natural philosopher and a chemist, and his inventions demonstrate his profound knowledge of those sciences, and that peculiar characteristic of genius, the union of them for practical application”. Porter, Roy (2000), Enlightenment: Britain and the Creation of the Modern World, London: Penguin Books (published 2001), ISBN 0-14-025028-XCan you imagine being in a room with these makers of the Industrial Revolution who were genuinely asking how to improve their world? Historian Jacob Bronowski looks at the Lunar Society and says, What ran through it was a simple faith: the good life is more than material decency, but the good life must be based on material decency.

Schofield, Robert E. (December 1966), "The Lunar Society of Birmingham; A Bicentenary Appraisal", Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, 21 (2): 144–161, doi: 10.1098/rsnr.1966.0015, ISSN 0035-9149, JSTOR 531065, S2CID 145397408 Using the 18 th century as a starting point, the project will look at the Lunar Society’s positive contribution to global issues like the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, scientific and medical advances and the advancement of religious and political liberty. However, we will also take a more critical look at some of the Society’s more ambiguous activities, not least how some of its members benefitted from their links to international trade and slavery and the growth of the British Empire. Among memorials to the Society and its members are the Moonstones; two statues of Watt and a statue of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch by William Bloye; and the museum at Soho House – all in Birmingham.Other members included James Watt, Erasmus Darwin (famous physician and writer and Charles Darwin's grandfather), and Joseph Priestley. Priestley was the rebellious cleric and scientist, famous for isolating oxygen. Josiah Wedgwood was known for fine tableware, but he was also dedicated to improving everyday life. He made huge contributions to the production of cheap tableware. (And Wedgwood was Charles Darwin's other grandfather.) The Lunar Society, or Lunar Circle as it was first called, was one such club. It met in and around Birmingham, England between 1765 and 1813. It was the members of this club however, that would set it apart from any other. They cheerfully referred to themselves as the ‘lunatics’, but this could not have been much further from the truth, as the revolutionaries involved would change the face of the world forever. The Lunar Society, in collaboration with specialist solicitors VWV, has drawn together a varied panel to celebrate the way that the car and other forms of transport have shaped Birmingham and the West Midlands, and to explore the changes required to deliver mobility and urban wellbeing in years to come. Robinson, Eric (1962), "The Lunar Society: Its Membership and Organisation", Transactions of the Newcomen Society, 35: 153–178, doi: 10.1179/tns.1962.009, ISSN 0372-0187 BBC Radio 4 In our Time – Melvyn Bragg – http://home/creative13/domains/lunarsociety.org.uk/public_html.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548z8

Join us on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 19:00 GMT to discuss the future shape of transport in the West Midlands. Josiah Wedgwood (1730 – 93), the father of English pottery, who was also Charles Darwin’s other grandfather. As an industrialist, he was dedicated to improving everyday life and brought affordable tableware to the masses. The Lunar Society Heritage Trail Leaflet provides visitors and local residents with an introduction to the Lunar Society and 18th Century Birmingham by following in its members’ footsteps Schofield, R. E., The Lunar Society at Birmingham: A social history of provincial science and industry in eighteenth-century England, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963.The present-day Lunar Society provides a dynamic forum for its membership to influence change through focusing and informing debate, linking social, economic, scientific and cultural thinking, and catalysing action on issues critical to the common good. In the 200-plus years since the original Society, Birmingham and the region have changed beyond recognition. It is now a lively, multicultural city, open to the world. Its industrial base has high technology, medicine and legal services as well as modern manufacturing. It is also notably a young city, with a high proportion of under-35s. Yet what is still the same is the need to adapt continuously, to connect across different agendas and perspectives, and the need to engage local energy and effort in making change succeed. We are at the forefront of this, contributing to an innovative agenda throughout this region and beyond. The Lunar Society Heritage Trail Leaflet provides visitors and local residents with an introduction to the Lunar Society and 18th Century Birmingham by following in its members’ footsteps.