The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a 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, England.
The members cheerfully referred to themselves as "lunarticks", a pun on lunatics.
Soho House as seen in 2009.
- wikimedia
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.
Venues included Erasmus Darwin's home in Lichfield, Matthew Boulton's home, Soho House, Bowbridge House in Derbyshire, and Great Barr Hall - wikipedia 
# See also * Membership and status * Development * Modern Lunar Societies * See also * References * Bibliography * External links