The "Scientific Lazzaroni" At the height of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln authorized the first national organization devoted to promoting science and technology. On this date in 1863, Lincoln approved an act of Congress to create the National Academy of Sciences, the brainstorm of a group of scientists located mainly in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group had already been meeting informally for 10 years, calling themselves the Scientific Lazzaroni. This was a play on the word used at the time to describe the beggars and street people of Naples, Italy. The first president of the group was Alexander Dallas Bache who, as an original member, was instrumental in recommending a governmental organization to promote science.
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