BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- The "Trailblazing" Website created by Britain's influential science academy the Royal Society includes rare handwritten papers about some of the most important scientific discoveries of the past three and a half centuries.

    Benjamin Franklin's studies on flying a kite in an electrical storm from 1752 show the first time that lightning is electricity and not a supernatural force.

    And Edward Stone's 1763 notes on the success of willow bark in treating fever document the beginnings of the discovery of salicylic acid and the production of aspirin -- now one of the world's most used medicines.

    Daines Barrington, a scientist who wanted to test the claim that Mozart was a genius when he visited London in 1770 at the age of eight, noted the boy was distracted and playful, but showed remarkable talent. "The score was no sooner put upon his desk, than he began to play the symphony in a most masterly manner," he wrote.

    The creators of Trailblazing say it is a "go-at-your-own-pace" virtual journey through science which the Royal Society hopes will inspire members of the public to see science as part of everyday life and culture.

    Martin Rees, president of the Royal Society, said the papers showed "a ceaseless quest by scientists over the centuries to test and build on our knowledge of humankind and the universe."

    (Source: Agencies)