Science History Institute facts for kids
The Science History Institute in Philadelphia in October 2019
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| Former name | Center for the History of Chemistry (1982–1992) Chemical Heritage Foundation (1992 – February 1, 2018) |
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| Established | 22 January 1982 |
| Location | 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19106, U.S. |
| Key holdings | Alchemy, History of chemistry, History of science, Instrumentation |
| Founder | Arnold Thackray |
| Public transit access |   SEPTA bus: 21, 42, 57, Market–Frankford Line |
The Science History Institute is a special place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It helps people learn about the history of science. It has a library, a museum, an archive (for old documents), a research center, and a place for meetings.
The institute started in 1982. It was first called the Center for the History of Chemistry (CHOC). It was created by the American Chemical Society and the University of Pennsylvania. Later, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) also joined. In 1992, its name changed to the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF). Two years later, it moved to its current home at 315 Chestnut Street in Old City.
On December 1, 2015, the CHF joined with the Life Sciences Foundation. This made the organization cover more history. It now includes the history of life sciences and biotechnology, along with chemistry and engineering. On February 1, 2018, the organization became the Science History Institute. This new name shows its wider focus on all kinds of science history.
The institute looks at the history of chemistry, the history of science, and the history of technology. It also explores how research and development changes things. It studies how science affects society and how science and art connect. The institute supports scholars who do research. It also has a program to record interviews with important scientists. In 2012, it gave out the most research grants in the U.S. for the history of science.
Contents
How the Institute Started
The idea for a science history center in the United States is very old. The American Chemical Society (ACS) first talked about having a "library of reference and a chemical museum" in 1876.
The idea for the Science History Institute really began in 1976. This was when the U.S. celebrated its 200th birthday. The ACS also celebrated its 100th birthday. These events made people more interested in history and chemistry. As part of the ACS celebration, John H. Wotiz helped organize a meeting about the history of chemistry. He strongly believed in creating a national center for this history.
The First Center for Chemistry History
In 1979, the ACS formed a team to explore creating a national center. Ned D. Heindel led this team. Arnold Thackray, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, suggested Philadelphia as the location. He was also in charge of a collection about chemistry history at the university. Thackray got promises of money from chemist John C. Haas and companies like Dow Chemical Company and DuPont.
In December 1981, the ACS agreed to start the Center for the History of Chemistry. They would give $50,000 each year for five years. The University of Pennsylvania would also help with space and services. The agreement was signed in January 1982. Arnold Thackray became the part-time director in April 1982. The center officially opened on March 11, 1983. It was in some empty rooms in the basement of the University of Pennsylvania. Its first goals were to record interviews with important chemists. They also wanted to find and list old papers and writings across the country.
A group of experts from schools and businesses also formed a National Advisory Board. In 1982, this group included John C. Haas and famous historians. It also had three Nobel Prize winners: Christian B. Anfinsen, Herbert C. Brown, and Glenn T. Seaborg. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) joined as a co-founder in 1984. The center also started working with other groups like The Chemists' Club.
By 1983, the center was interested in saving old American chemical tools. They talked with the Smithsonian Institution about a project. However, the center did not have space for big collections yet. So, they mostly showed traveling exhibits. These included "Joseph Priestley: Enlightened Chemist" and "Polymers and People."
The Beckman Center for Chemistry History
In the 1980s, Arnold Orville Beckman learned about the center. His foundation, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, gave a $2 million grant in 1986. This money helped the center grow into a research institute. It was then renamed the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry (BCHOC).
Beckman wanted the center to think bigger. He encouraged it to work with more groups. He also wanted it to include biochemistry, materials science, and other areas. The National Foundation for History of Chemistry was set up in 1987 to support this. The renamed Beckman Center started raising more money. It needed offices, an exhibit area, a reading room, and storage for books and archives. It celebrated its opening on November 5, 1987. With help from the American Chemical Society, the center moved to 3401 Walnut Street in March 1988.
The Othmer Library of Chemical History
In 1989, the center received another big grant. This came from Donald F. Othmer and his wife, Mildred Topp Othmer. Donald Othmer was a chemical engineering professor. The Othmers gave $5 million to create the Othmer Library of Chemical History. Again, the National Foundation for History of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society helped raise matching funds. The new library also received 8,500 books from The Chemists' Club of New York.
The Chemical Heritage Foundation
On July 1, 1992, the National Foundation for History of Chemistry changed its name. It became the Chemical Heritage Foundation. This new name showed that chemical history is important all over the world. By 1994, the organization was looking for a permanent home. They found the First National Bank building at 315 Chestnut Street. It was a strong brick building from 1866.
The institution bought the bank building and nearby land in 1995. Part of the money came from Donald Othmer. Later, Donald Othmer's will left more money to the foundation. The Chemical Heritage Foundation moved to 315 Chestnut Street on February 1, 1996. The buildings were updated over the next few years. The first part was finished in 1998, giving temporary offices and book storage. The second part, with more permanent spaces, was done in 2000. After that, they started building the Ullyot conference space for meetings.
Creating a Public Museum
Having its own building meant the institution could finally open a "public museum and display area." One idea was to focus on the history of scientific tools. As early as 1989, the Beckman Center asked to borrow Beckman Instruments like the Beckman pH meter. Some of these tools were shown in an exhibit in 1994. In the early 1990s, a group from the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) wanted to create a museum for scientific tools. They connected with Arnold Thackray. This group became the institution's Chemical Instrumentation Museum Group (CIMG) in 1994. In 1997, the Chemical Heritage Foundation's board agreed to collect "historically important chemical instruments and apparatus." But tools were just one part of what the institution wanted to collect.
Alchemy Collections
The Science History Institute is very interested in the beginnings of science and chemistry. It has many old books about alchemy. It also has a large collection of art showing alchemists from early modern times. This art collection is one of the biggest in the world. It grew from two important collections. Chester Garfield Fisher, who started Fisher Scientific, began collecting alchemical art in the 1920s. In 2000, his collection was given to the Chemical Heritage Foundation. In 2002, Roy Eddleman, who started Spectrum Laboratories, gave his collection. It had paintings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Together, these collections have over 90 paintings and 200 works on paper. They show the work of alchemists and how they helped chemistry become a science.
Instrument Collections
The Chemical Heritage Foundation's collections include important tools. For example, it has a 1934 Beckman Model G pH Meter. It also has an early Electro-spray Ionization Mass Spectrometer used by John B. Fenn. Other items include a 1947 Mettler B5 Single-Pan Balance. There is also a 1963 Perkin-Elmer Model 125 Infrared Grating Spectrophotometer. And a c. 1980's Automated Peptide Synthesizer made by Bruce Merrifield.
The foundation slowly added to its tool collections. Most items were given as gifts. In 2000, the CIMG became the Heritage Council Instruments and Artifacts Committee (HCIAC). In 2002, the institution received hundreds of instruments from Stephen P. DeFalco. He was the president of PerkinElmer. This happened after the company closed a factory in Germany. An exhibit called Revolutionary Tools showed fifteen 20th-century instruments. This included Arnold Beckman's pH meter.
In 2004, a list of "50 Instruments That Changed the World" was made. This helped guide future collecting. In 2008, the institution shared a list of its ten most wanted instruments.
The Arnold O. Beckman Exhibit and Clifford C. Hach Gallery
By 1996, the Chemical Heritage Foundation wanted a broad museum of chemical progress. They imagined that tools would be important, but not the only focus. This idea came true when Peter Saylor designed the public museum and meeting space. The Arnold O. Beckman Permanent Exhibit and the Clifford C. Hach Gallery opened in 2008. The Arnold O. Beckman permanent exhibit, Making Modernity, was designed to be like an "art gallery for science." It shows items from the institute's many collections.
The exhibit includes more than just tools. It also has books, documents, and art from the institute's collection. There are also many everyday products. The exhibit is organized around big ideas in science history, especially chemistry. Displays show how alchemy influenced early chemistry. They also cover the creation of the first plastics and bright synthetic dyes. Other topics include how science helped public health and how chemistry was taught.
The Science History Institute Today
On December 1, 2015, the Chemical Heritage Foundation joined with the Life Sciences Foundation. This foundation was also started by Arnold Thackray. The new combined organization realized its interests went beyond just chemistry. So, they started a two-year process to change their name. This change needed the agreement of their founding partners. These were the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. On February 1, 2018, the organization was renamed the Science History Institute. This name shows its wider focus. It now covers chemical sciences, engineering, life sciences, and biotechnology.
Leaders of the Institute
Arnold Thackray was the institute's first president. He won an award in 1983 for his work in chemistry history. After Thackray, Thomas R. Tritton became president (2008-2013). During his time, the museum opened to the public. The fellowship program also grew.
In August 2013, Carsten Reinhardt, a history of science professor from Germany, became president and CEO. In 2016, Reinhardt returned to Germany. Robert G. W. Anderson took his place temporarily. On January 11, 2017, Anderson became the permanent president. As of May 20, 2020, David Allen Cole became president and CEO. He was previously the executive director of the Hagley Museum and Library.
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Arnold Thackray
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Tom Tritton
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Carsten Reinhardt
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Robert Anderson
What the Institute Collects
The Science History Institute has many collections about the history of chemistry.
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- The Othmer Library: In 2004, the Othmer Library received the Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library. This is one of the most complete collections of books on chemistry history in the world. It has about 6,000 books. These books date from the late 1400s to the early 1900s. They include many key works in the history of science and technology.
- Center for Oral History: This center creates a collection of detailed interviews. They talk to important people in chemistry and related fields.
- Archives: The institute collects and saves unique, unpublished materials. These documents show the last 200 years of scientific history. The institute actively collects old materials from famous scientists, industries, and groups. These collections fill over 5,000 feet of shelves. They are a major resource for scholars studying chemical and molecular sciences.
- Photographs: The institute's Image Archive has a large collection of photos. These include prints, negatives, and slides. They show the chemical history of the last century. The institute has over 20,000 images. These show famous chemists, labs, factories, historic meetings, and chemical objects. Scholars, journalists, and publishers find these images very useful. There are also informal photos of scientists at work and play. For example, polymer chemists Wallace Carothers and Carl Shipp Marvel on a fishing trip. Or chemical engineer Donald Othmer and his wife on their wedding day. Some special photo collections include:
- Williams Haynes Portrait Collection: almost 1,000 formal pictures of important chemists from the early 1900s.
- Travis Hignett Collection: images from the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (1920–1950).
- Joseph Labovsky Collection: the history of nylon.
- Dow Historical Collection: industrial images from the 20th century.
- Fine Art: The institute's art collection is strong in two areas. These are the Fisher Scientific International Collection and the Roy Eddleman Collection. Together, they have over 90 paintings and 200 works on paper. These artworks show the world of alchemists. Alchemists tried to find the "philosophers' stone." In doing so, they learned a lot about materials through experiments. This work helped set the stage for modern chemistry. Other art highlights include oil paintings showing early chemical activities. These include distillation and metalworking. There are also watercolors showing how the textile ramie was made.
- Artifacts: The Science History Institute collects 3D objects. These objects show material culture. They are used for research and exhibits. The institute has many historical objects related to chemistry and education. This includes scientific tools. It has one of the best public collections of chemistry sets. There are about 100 different sets from around the world. Other special collections include The Beauty of Bakelite and Chemistry and Fashion. Key items include the Beckman IR-1 spectrophotometer. Also, John Fenn's electrospray mass spectrometer. And Bruce Merrifield's solid-phase peptide synthesizer.
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Pandora, das ist, Die edleste Gab Gottes, 1582
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The Alchemist's Experiment Takes Fire, 1687
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Trouble Comes to the Alchemist
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Distillations Magazine
The Science History Institute used to publish a magazine called Distillations. It came out three times a year until 2019. Now, its content is only online. As an online resource, it still shares stories about the history of science for many readers. Distillations first appeared in spring 2015. Before that, the Chemical Heritage Foundation published the Chemical Heritage Magazine.
Fellowship Programs
The Science History Institute offers many fellowships. These are special programs for researchers to work at the institute for different lengths of time.
Awards and Recognition
The Science History Institute gives out several awards each year. These awards recognize great work in science and technology. They honor researchers, business leaders, and inventors.
The annual Heritage Day Awards celebrate achievements in science and technology. These include the Othmer Gold Medal. There is also the Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for Supporting Industries. And, with The Chemists' Club of New York, the Winthrop-Sears Medal.
The annual Affiliate Partnership Awards are given with other organizations. They recognize achievements with the Biotechnology Heritage Award. Also, the Franklin-Lavoisier Prize, the Petrochemical Heritage Award, and the Pittcon Heritage Award.
The Roy G. Neville Prize in Bibliography or Biography honors a book about a person's life in chemical or molecular science. This prize started in 2006 and is given every two years.
See also
- Ullyot Public Affairs Lecture
- Burndy Library
- Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments
- Whipple Museum of the History of Science
