Scientific American is one of the oldest and most serious popular-sciencemagaziness. Founded by Rufus Porter, Scientific American has been published monthly since August 28, 1845.
Among science periodicals, "Sciam" is the most widely read, bringing authoritatively written articles about highly new and innovative research, to the amateur and layman audience. Whilst a well-respected magazine, it is not a peer-reviewedscientific journal in the sense of Nature or Communications of the ACM; rather, it is a forum where scientific discoveries are explained to a wider audience —often including scientists working in unrelated fields.
Throughout its early years Scientific American put much emphasis on reports of what was going on at the US patent office. It reported on a broad range of inventions that includes perpetual motion machines, a 1849 device for buoying vessels by one Abraham Lincoln, and the universal joint which now finds place in nearly every automobile manufactured. Any issue from the 19th century gives a fascinating insight into the progress of the industrial revolution in that time. Current issues feature a 'this date in history' section, featuring an article originally published 50, 100, and 150 years ago —where often-humorous, un-scientific, or otherwise noteworthy gems of science history are featured.
