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Timelines

The first 100 years (1869-1969)

"What a glorious title, Nature, a veritable stroke of genius to have hit upon. It is more than a cosmos, more than a universe. It includes the seen as well as the unseen, the possible as well as the actual, Nature and Nature's God, mind and matter. I am lost in admiration of the effulgent blaze of ideas it calls forth."
J.J. SYLVESTER, MATHEMATICIAN

The history of Nature ...and

the science we have published

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1869

Nature is launched
First editor is Norman Lockyer

Huxley writes first Nature article

  • Alexander MacmillanAstrophysicist Norman Lockyer and Thomas Henry Huxley encourage Alexander Macmillan to publish "a general scientific journal". Consequently, the House of Macmillan launches Nature, a weekly illustrated journal of science. The journal's original mission statement to this day remains unchanged.
    Norman Lockyer becomes the first editor of Nature, and remains in this position for 50 years.
  • First issue of NatureAfter Darwin's "Origin of Species" is published in 1859, Huxley does more than anyone to promote its theories. As well as being instrumental in the conception of Nature, Huxley writes the first Nature article, on the role of nature in the development of human beings.
1896

 

First x-rays observed

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  • X-rays are observed for the first time by Wilhelm Röntgen. Nature publishes the first account in English of Röntgen's research.
1897

 

Discovery of the electron

1919

Richard Gregory becomes second editor

 

  • Richard GregoryRichard Gregory becomes the second editor of Nature. Prior to this, Gregory had already been working at Nature for 26 years.

    During his time as Nature's editor, Gregory helped establish India's leading journal Current Science and later took on the role of corresponding editor.
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1925

 

Discovery of an early hominid

1932

 

The splitting of the atom

1938

Sir Richard Gregory retires
Brimble and Gale take up third editorship

 

  • Richard Gregory retires.

    Brimble (left), and Gale standing outside the Macmillan offices at the time, in St Martins St, LondonL. J. F. Brimble & A. J. V. Gale jointly take up the third Nature editorship.
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1950

The origins of peer review in Nature

 

  • The Athenaeum Club, LondonBrimble frequented the Athenaeum club in London, which was popular with scientists from the nearby Royal Society. Over lunch and coffee, Brimble would often produce papers submitted to Nature to gauge opinion from other members - an informal precursor to peer review!
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1953

 

Watson and Crick decipher the structure of DNA

1960

 

Theodore Maiman builds the first laser

1961

Gale retires

 

  • Gale retires, leaving Brimble as sole editor until his death in 1965.
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1966

John Maddox becomes editor

Wilson's paper on plate tectonics

  • Sir John Maddox John Maddox becomes Nature's fifth editor.
  • Nature publishes J. Wilson's paper on plate tectonics.
1968

 

First paper on a pulsating star

The papers referred to in this timeline represent a selection of the research published in Nature and other NPG journals. For more on the history of Nature, including essays, videos, timeline and an interactive forum, visit History of the Journal Nature.

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