Timeline

Foundation of the Brazilian Society of Sciences at the Polytechnic School of Rio de Janeiro.

Inauguration of the first board of directors, chaired by Henrique Morize.

Creation of the Journal of the Brazilian Society of Sciences.

The Brazilian Society of Sciences changes its name to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC).

Roquette-Pinto leads the creation of Rádio Sociedade, which operates at ABC.

ABC advocates for freedom of access to wireless telephony, a process that fosters radio communication.

ABC gains a new headquarters: the Czechoslovak Pavilion, built for the Centennial International Exposition of Independence, in Rio de Janeiro, in 1922.
Members of ABC participate in the founding of the Brazilian Society of Education, now the Brazilian Association of Education (ABE).

Albert Einstein, author of the theory of relativity, gives a lecture at ABC. He becomes a corresponding member
of the Academy.

Marie Curie, winner of two Nobel Prizes, gives a lecture at ABC. She becomes the first female corresponding member of the Academy.

Emília Snethlage (center), a German zoologist who had lived in Brazil since 1905, also becomes a corresponding member
of the ABC.

ABC has its first international performance, representing Brazil at a meeting of the
International Research Council, in Belgium.

Return of ABC to the Polytechnic School.

Publication of the first issue of the Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.

By decree of São Paulo (USP). July 14, ABC is recognized by the head of the provisional government, Getúlio Vargas, as an institution of public utility.

Academic Teodoro Ramos plays a relevant role in the founding of the University of São Paulo (USP).

Members of ABC participate in the creation of the University of the Federal District (UDF). In the photo, two of them: Joaquim Costa Ribeiro and Lauro Travassos.

Roquette-Pinto creates and directs the National Institute of Educational Cinema.

ABC participates in the Metrology Commission, at the national level.

ABC sponsors the International Symposium on Cosmic Rays, with the participation of Nobel Prize winner in Physics Arthur Compton.

After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in Japan, ABC organizes public debates and publishes a manifesto on the use of atomic energy. In the photo, Admiral Álvaro Alberto at ABC.

Several Academics participate in the creation of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC).

The Brazilian Center for Physics Research (CBPF) is founded by several Academics. In the photo: in the back, César Lattes, Hideki Yukawa and Walter Schutzer. In the front, Hervásio de Carvalho, José Leite Lopes and Jayme Tiomno. Lattes, Tiomno, Leite and Hervásio are founders of CBPF.

ABC receives its first Brazilian associates: the mathematicians Maria Laura Mouzinho (left) and Marília Chaves Peixoto.

At the proposal of Academic Álvaro Alberto da Motta e Silva, the National Research Council (CNPq) is created.

The National Campaign for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) was also created, with the participation of ABC members.

Founded, with the participation of ABC members, the National Institute for Amazon Research (Inpa), the Institute for Radioactive Research (IPR) and the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (Impa).

The National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) was established, integrated, among others, by members of the Academy.

ABC occupies its new headquarters on Anfilófio de Carvalho Street, in the center of Rio de Janeiro, with resources from the government of President Juscelino Kubitschek.

Nobel Prize winner Peter Medawar, born in Brazil and based in England, visits ABC.

Several Academics contributed to the creation of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

President Arthur Moses, with other Academics and Brazilian scientists, signs a manifesto condemning nuclear explosions.

The president of ABC, Carlos Chagas Filho, expresses apprehension
regarding the invasion of the University of Brasília (UnB) by the military, in a telegram to President Castelo Branco.

At the celebration of ABC’s 50th anniversary, President Castelo Branco donates Readjustable National Treasury Bonds to the institution, in the amount equivalent to US$1 million. As part of the celebrations of ABC’s 50th anniversary, Vice-President Paschoal Senise conducts the first regular session of the Academy in the city at USP.

Institutional Act No. 5 (AI-5) punishes several Academics. Throughout the military regime, around 50 members of ABC were affected by dictatorial actions.

First Brazilian Symposium of Paleontology, at ABC headquarters, brings together researchers from Latin America.

ABC takes over the Brazilian Journal of Biology, created in 1940 by the Brazilian Society of Biology, focusing on neotropical fauna and flora.

First IBM Conference on Science and Technology, a series
that promotes interaction between academia and industry, with the participation of foreign scientists.

Installation, at ABC, of the National Commission of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, destined to study environmental changes on the planet.

Creation of the Brazilian Antarctic Research magazine, published by ABC, to disseminate the results of the Brazilian Antarctic Program (Proantar).

ABC is designated by CNPq as the national representative on the International Council for Science (ICSU).

Together with SBPC and UFRJ, ABC organizes RioCiência 92, an event parallel to the United Nations Eco 92 Conference.

ABC participates in the founding of the Inter-Academy Panel on International Issues, currently called the Global Network of Science Academies (IAP). Launch of the Academic Bulletin, ABC’s electronic newsletter, current ABC News.

Creation of the Aristides Leão Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations, which offers internships for students in Academics’ laboratories. It was reactivated in 2014, aimed at young people from the Amazon region.

ABC promotes the holding of the 6th TWAS General Conference.

ABC assumes its current configuration: Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Engineering Sciences and Social Sciences.

Creation of the ABC in Scientific Education Program, in partnership with the French Academy of Sciences.

Foundation of the Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (Ianas), with Academic Hernan Chaimovich as its first president (2004 to 2010).

ABC, L’Oréal and Unesco create the Brazilian edition of the “For Women in Science” program, to award young researchers.

ABC promotes the first conference “Advances and Perspectives of Science in Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean”.

Creation of six regional vice-presidencies and the category of young affiliated members, elected annually by region.

Geosciences Conference in Portuguese-Speaking Countries with the theme “A common past for a future of integration”. Sponsored by ABC, the activity celebrates the International Year of Planet Earth.

Launch of the ProfiCiência website, developed by ABC with support from Faperj, which informs young people about the possibilities of professional activity in the various areas of science.

ABC hosts the VII Conference and General Assembly of the Global Network of Science Academies (IAP), which discusses the contribution of science to the eradication of poverty and sustainable development.

ABC receives 500 scientists from more than 100 countries at the 6th World Science Forum, organized in conjunction with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

ABC gains a new headquarters: three floors of a historic building donated by the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro to the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Faperj). After renovation, it will become the headquarters of the Palace of Science.

Holding of the symposium “Water Resources in the Southeast Region: Water Security, Risks, Impacts and Solutions”. In the photo, Academic and coordinator José Tundisi and participants of the event.

Magna Meeting of ABC, with the theme “The Value of Science”, addresses the intrinsic value of scientific activity and highlights its fundamental value for socioeconomic development and for overcoming crises.

ABC celebrates 100 years!

He was born in 1860, in Beaune, France. He moved to Brazil in 1875 and entered the Polytechnic School, in the industrial engineering course, in 1890. He worked as an astronomer at the Imperial Observatory of Rio de Janeiro for 46 years, 20 of which as director. He taught physics at the Polytechnic School and was one of the creators of electricity education in Brazil. Founding member of ABC. He died in 1930.

He was born in 1872, in Salvador, Bahia. There, he taught as a doctor at the Faculty of Medicine, where he had studied and graduated. He was one of the first black scientists in the country. His scientific production was internationally recognized. He played a prominent role in the humanization of psychiatric hospitals in Brazil, having directed the National Hospice, in Rio de Janeiro. He died in 1933.

He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1890. He attended the Faculty of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro and was an assistant at the Instituto de Manguinhos. He participated in the founding of the Brazilian Society of Education and was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He wrote one of the first books dedicated to scientific dissemination in the country. He died in 1953.

He was born in Abaeté, Minas Gerais, in 1883. He graduated as a mining and civil engineer from the Ouro Preto School of Mines. He was responsible for the discovery that the Brazilian Paraguay basin was part of the Gondwana continent. In 1933, he completed the “Geological Map of Brazil” and made it possible to discover oil in the country. He died in 1939.

He was born in 1886, in Rio de Janeiro, where he graduated in medicine. He carried out research in histology, microbiology and veterinary medicine. He worked at the Hospital Geral da Santa Casa de Misericórdia and at the Instituto Manguinhos. He worked at the Ministry of Agriculture and directed the Experimental Veterinary Institute. He died in 1967.

He was born in 1889, in Rio de Janeiro. He attended the Naval School and reached the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Brazilian Navy. He graduated as an engineer from the Polytechnic School. He researched explosives and, after the Second War, became interested in nuclear energy. He participated in the creation and was the first president of the National Research Council (CNPq). He chaired the Atomic Energy Commission of the United Nations. He died in 1976.

He was born in 1883, in Minas Gerais. In 1908, he completed the electrical engineering course at the University of Liége, in Belgium, and specialized in England and France. He was a professor at the Naval School and the Polytechnic School of Rio de Janeiro. Founding member of ABC, he died in 1973.

He was born in 1883, in Rio de Janeiro. He graduated from the Naval School. He chaired the Naval Technical Institute, was director at the Polytechnic School of Rio de Janeiro and the Normal School of the Federal District, in addition to being rector at the University of Brazil. As one of the founders of the Brazilian Society of Education, he defended the improvement of university education in the country. He died in 1950.

He was born in 1886 in Campina Grande, Paraíba. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro and worked in several hospitals, having directed the Casa dos Expostos. He interned at French institutions and taught at the Faculty of Medicine of Belo Horizonte and at the National Museum, being recognized worldwide for his studies on arachnids. He died in 1948.

He was born in 1894, in Rio de Janeiro. He graduated as a geographer and civil engineer, doctor in physical and natural sciences. He taught and directed the Institute of Education of the Federal District. He was also a professor at the Polytechnic School, where he had graduated, in addition to being one of the founders of the Brazilian Society of Education. He died in 1974.

He was born in 1910, in Rio de Janeiro. Graduated from the National Faculty of Medicine, he specialized in biophysics, pharmacology and cell differentiation. He founded and directed the Institute of Biophysics, taking research to the university. He held positions at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. He was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He died in 2000.

He was born in 1914, in Rio de Janeiro. He entered the Faculty of Medicine of São Paulo in 1932. In 1940, he traveled to the United States and obtained master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University. His research was fundamental to the understanding of diseases such as epilepsy and migraine. He taught at the University of Brazil and died in 1993.

He was born in 1921, in Fortaleza, Ceará. He graduated as a civil engineer from the University of Brazil, where he later taught. His studies were fundamental to the development of a school of mathematics in Brazil. He directed the National Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics, which he helped to found.

He was born in Italy in 1922. A physicist from USP, he built portable transmitters for the Army and founded nuclear physics laboratories. He chaired SBPC and Fapesp. Elected president of ABC, he stepped down due to health issues and was replaced by Vargas. He died in 2010.

He was born in Minas Gerais in 1928. A chemist from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, a physicist from the Technological Institute of Aeronautics, he obtained a doctorate in nuclear sciences from the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. He was president of the Executive Council of Unesco and Minister of Science and Technology.

He was born in 1928 in Cerro Largo, in Rio Grande do Sul. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Porto Alegre, studied physiology in Buenos Aires, interned in the United States and obtained a doctorate from the University of São Paulo. He works at the Heart Institute (InCor) of the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo, where he leads a research team on hypertension.

Born in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, in 1940. He graduated in engineering from the University of Brazil and obtained a doctorate in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. At Impa, he works with dynamic systems, having supervised 42 doctoral students. He was director of Impa (1993-2003), president of the International Mathematical Union (1998-2002) and of the World Academy of Sciences, TWAS (2007-2012). He contributed to projecting mathematics and science from Brazil internationally. He passed away in 2025.

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1946. A physicist, he specialized in quantum optics, a branch of physics that investigates the interaction of light with matter on an infinitesimally small scale. He also conducts research in the area of quantum information, especially in quantum metrology, which investigates how quantum physics can help increase the precision of sensors. He coordinated the Millennium Institute of Quantum Information between 2001 and 2006 and the 4th National Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation in 2010. He was secretary-general of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) between 2019-2022.

Born in São Paulo in 1947. Biomedical scientist, tenured professor in the Biochemistry Department of the Paulista School of Medicine at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp). Working in glycochemistry and glycobiology, she is a pioneer in studies on heparin, leading a team that is a world reference on the subject. She was president of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC) between 2011 and 2017. Co-president of the Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS, 2019-2025), vice-president of the Alliance of International Science Organizations in the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO, 2023-2025) and vice-president of TWAS for Latin America and the Caribbean (2023-2026). In 2022, she was elected president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the first woman in the academy to hold the position. She was re-elected in 2025.