Scientific American (fl. 19th century) Scientific American is a popular science magazine first published in 1845. It is the oldest continually running publication in the United States. Scientific American was originally conceived by Rufus Porter as a journal of American scientific achievement for the layman. It focused heavily on the documents of the U.S. Patent office but quickly widened its scope to includes a variety of scientific areas. Scientific American is still published today and its mission remains the same. Click here for a list of rare maps from Scientific American. Rare maps by Scientific American currently for sale. Rare maps by Scientific American in the Geographicus Antique Map Archive.