 As Mercury crossed the sun on the 9th of November 1802, 22 citizens of Glasgow met in the Prince of Wales Tavern in Brunswick Street to establish a society for the discussion of subjects connected solely with the arts and sciences. This was the first meeting of Glasgow's Royal Philosophical Society. The 19th century was a period of great scientific and cultural achievement in Scotland, an era of enlightenment, prosperity and influence throughout the world, fuelled by the work of visionaries like Robert Burns, Adam Smith and James Watt. And at its heart was Glasgow. As the second city of the British Empire, Glasgow was one of the richest and finest cities of Europe, right at the cutting edge of the Industrial Revolution. It was at the forefront of everything, wasn't it? It became the second city of the Empire. It was on a river which led to the shipbuilding industry, it led to dredging, the introduction of railways in Scotland. Glasgow has always been a chancer, I think. It's just always pushed the boat, it's broken the rules. It's always just shot for the stars, actually. It's been a brave city and it kind of suffered the knocks of doing that, but it makes it more human, I think. As a city of great innovation and achievement, it was only natural that Glasgow attracted a wealth of enlightened minds who wanted to learn and collaborate and foster the changes of tomorrow. It was in this light that the Philosophical Society of Glasgow was formed.