"By one estimate, the number of available professions quadrupled from 1880 to 1911." #readingToday

Scientists were the first to organize, but they were soon followed by other professionals working in the increasingly specialized fields that were taking shape in the wake of industrialization: for example, architects, engineers, bankers, and hoteliers. By one estimate, the number of available professions quadrupled from 1880 to 1911. As these professions started to coalesce into organizations, they started to gather for international conferences (or "congresses," as they were known). This growing enthusiasm for conference going reflected the hopeful spirit of the times. "International congresses are the outcome of modern civilization," as one geographer had put it a few years earlier.

Cataloging the World, Alex Wright