Journal des sçavans: The First Scientific Journal Begins Publication

On January 5, 1665 French writer Denis de Sallo, Sieur de la Coudraye (pseudonym Sieur d'Hédonville) published from Paris the first issue of the first French literary and scientific journal, Journal des sçavans. This was also the earliest scientific journal published in Europe, predating Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London by three months.

"The journal ceased publication in 1792, during the French Revolution, and although it very briefly reappeared in 1797 under the updated title Journal des savants, it did not re-commence regular publication until 1816. From then on, the Journal des savants became more of a literary journal, and ceased to carry significant scientific material" (Wikipedia article on Journal des sçavans, accessed 07-31-2009).

In February 2014 the Journal des sçavans was available online from the Gallica digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France Gallica digital library at this link.