First lecture as professor of natural philosophy at the Archiginnasio

In December 1732, Laura Bassi delivered her first public lecture in her new capacity as professor of natural philosophy at the Archiginnasio, the historic seat of the University of Bologna. This lecture marked her formal debut as a teaching member of the university faculty, following her professorial appointment just two months earlier.

The lecture was a momentous occasion: it represented the first time a woman stood before a university audience in Europe in the formal capacity of a professor delivering instruction in natural philosophy, the discipline that would later evolve into physics. Given prevailing norms about women's roles in public and academic life, this event drew considerable curiosity and scrutiny from contemporaries.

Although Bassi initially faced restrictions on how often and to whom she could lecture — she was permitted to teach publicly only on special occasions, with more regular instruction taking place privately in her home — this first lecture established her as an active, functioning member of the university's teaching faculty rather than a purely honorary titleholder.

Over the subsequent decades, Bassi would go on to teach experimental physics, incorporating Newtonian concepts into her curriculum well before many other Italian institutions, tutoring dozens of students including prominent future scientists. This first lecture thus stands as the opening chapter of a four-decade teaching career that would help modernize Italian physics education.