In 1769 Benjamin Franklin published an article in the prestigious journal of the Royal Society of London presenting the transit of Venus observations of Messrs. Biddle and Bayley. Some historians credit this account from pre-revolutionary America as the first occasion on which American science went on display before the international community, an occasion made all the more propitious for involving a natural phenomenon that galvanized international attention in the scientific community. This journal edition contains, as well, numerous other articles from contributors worldwide regarding the transit of Venus of 1769. "Overservations of the Transit of Venus over the Sun, June 3, 1769, made by Mr. Owen Biddle and Mr. Joel Bayley, at Lewestown, in Pennsylvania. Communicated by Benjamin Franklin, LL.D., F.R.S." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 1769. Vol. 59 pp 414-21.
Benjamin Franklin's Royal Society of London Article
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Web Pagepp. 414-15
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Web Pagepp. 416-17
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Web Pagepp. 418-19
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Web Pagepp. 420-21