James Lind (naturalist)
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James Lind FRS FRSE FRCPE was a Scottish natural philosopher and physician.
James Lind's 2-foot refracting telescope made by Jesse Ramsden with a lens by Peter Dollond and mounting by John Miller. Used by Lind to view the 1769 transit of Venus.
James Lind in Iceland making an observation with an equatorial made by Ramsden
NE corner of the terrace at Windsor Castle, study for a print; with figures including Tiberius Cavallo, Dr James Lind, Dr Lockman, Caroline Herschel, Thomas Sandby looking out towards the meteor on 18 Aug 1783 (background not shown), one pointing. 1783 Watercolour, over graphite
Lunar Society of Birmingham
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The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a British dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham. At first called the Lunar Circle, "Lunar Society" became the formal name by 1775. The name arose because the society would meet during the full moon, as the extra light made the journey home easier and safer in the absence of street lighting. The members cheerfully referred to themselves as "lunaticks", a contemporary spelling of lunatics. Venues included Erasmus Darwin's home in Lichfield, Matthew Boulton's home, Soho House, Bowbridge House in Derbyshire, and Great Barr Hall.
Soho House in Handsworth, Birmingham, a regular venue for meetings of the Lunar Society
Matthew Boulton
Benjamin Franklin
Erasmus Darwin by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1770 (Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery)