AMS History
The American Mathematical Society began on November 24, 1888 in New York, NY as the New York Mathematical Society. Our founder was Thomas S. Fiske; the first members were three of his fellow graduate students and two professors. The Society changed to our current name in 1894.
We invite you to explore our history and welcome you to get involved in the AMS today!
Free Online Books
AMS History of Mathematics, Volume 1: A Century of Mathematics in America, Part I, Edited by Peter Duren, with the assistance of Richard A. Askey and Uta C. Merzbach
The first 100 years of the AMS: profiles of mathematicians, the mathematical community during the world wars, the growth of mathematical fields...
AMS History of Mathematics, Volume 2: A Century of Mathematics in America, Part II, edited by Peter Duren, with the assistance of Richard A. Askey and Uta C. Merzbach
The histories of mathematical activity at the major U.S. institutions; the influence of women in mathematics; the flowering of applied mathematics...
AMS History of Mathematics, Volume 3: A Century of Mathematics in America, Part III , edited by Peter Duren, with the assistance of Richard A. Askey and Uta C. Merzbach
The mathematics and mathematical personalities in some of the nation's prominent departments.
A Semi-centennial History of the American Mathematical Society, 1888-1938 Volume 1, by Raymond Clare Archibald
The first fifty years of the AMS: the founding, Bulletin of the AMS, meetings, officers...
Semi-centennial Addresses of the American Mathematical Society, Volume II
The second semi-centennial volume: developments and trends in fields including differential equations, harmonic analysis, geometry, topology...
Mathematics into the Twenty-First Century, Felix E. Browder, Editor
The proceedings of the AMS centennial symposium.
History of the Second Fifty Years, American Mathematical Society, 1939-1988, by Everett Pitcher
The second fifty years of the AMS: Mathematical Reviews®, primary journals, membership and dues, international meetings, policy committees, finances...
Other Resources
AMS Presidents: A Timeline. Browse through the timeline to learn about AMS presidents since the Society's founding in 1888. Each page includes the president's institution and date of doctoral degree, a brief note about his/her academic career and honors, as well as links to more extensive biographical information and descriptions of mathematical work.
Towards a Fully Inclusive Mathematics Profession
Report from The Task Force on Understanding and Documenting the Historical Role of the AMS in Racial Discrimination
Browse Notices of the AMS online back to 1954.
Browse the full archive of the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society since 1891, searchable and fully integrated with the modern Bulletin, freely accessible to all.
The AMS Bookstore offers an extensive collection of books on the history of mathematics.