It was when they began to publish scientific journals:
The first, on the 5th of January, 1665, the Journal des sçavans by Denis de Sallo.
Then, on 6 March, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (which I believe something more important because of its connection to an official organization). Therefore, the decision that ‘the Philosophical Transactions, to be composed by Mr. Oldenberg, be printed the first Monday of every month, if I have enough matter to it, and that the tract be licensed… and the president be now desidered to license the first paper thereof’ seems to me more crucial.
(For a presentation of the origins you can see in the web the following page on the origin of the scientific journals: Origin of the Scholarly Journal)
Now, why I find this interesting? For something that he had mentioned in a previous entry, because it seems to me that modern societies can be characterized as being those where there is both a scientific organization and mass media (newspapers in this case). The scientific magazine, bringing both principles of organization, it is the time of birth of the modernity.
I said scientific organization (and it is because I think that is the march 6 date, more crucial). Because science is a public activity and collective. In that sense, what differentiates the scientific academy modern other forms of discipline is how it is organized: the importance of communication, seminars and other forms of meet. An organization that is not necessarily unified (and before based things such as the Royal Society, already spoke of the ‘invisible college’ which consisted of various academics to communicate with each other) but it entails a collective action.
Be that as it may, I think that the year 1655 has its importance then.