Historedia
AmericasEvent

Founding of the American Physical Society

When
1899
Where
Columbia University
Episodes
1

The American Physical Society was established on May 20, 1899, at Columbia University in New York City. Thirty-six physicists gathered to form the organization, which adopted a mission to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics. The society operates as a membership organization for professionals in physics and related disciplines.

Episodes

  1. May 20, 1899 · Columbia UniversityFounding Meeting at Columbia University

    Thirty-six physicists gathered at Columbia University on May 20, 1899, to establish the American Physical Society, adopting its mission to advance physics knowledge.

Background and detail

Background. Columbia University, located in New York City, served as the venue for the founding meeting. The institution, established in 1754, had moved to its current campus in 1896. The American Physical Society was formed by a group of professionals in physics, aiming to create a structured organization for the advancement of the field.

Mission Statement. The founding group proclaimed the mission of the new Society to be 'to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics.' This objective defined the organization's purpose from its inception. The society functions as a not-for-profit membership organization for professionals in physics and related disciplines, maintaining this focus throughout its existence.

Sources

  1. American Physical Society Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
  2. Columbia University Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.