Joseph Henry's Inaugural Address at Albany Academy

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Summary

Henry accepts his appointment as Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Albany Academy with a formal address. He begins with a historical overview of mathematics, then provides examples of contemporary research, chiefly in the application of calculus to natural philosophy. After describing some of the more arcane aspects of mathematical physics, he discusses the application of mathematics to technology and to the advancement of humankind. In 1846, Henry would become the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Subject

  • Henry, Joseph 1797-1878
  • Albany Academy

Category

Chronology of Smithsonian History

Notes

  • Reingold, Nathan, ed. The Papers of Joseph Henry, The Albany Years, December 1797 - October 1832, vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1972, pp. 163-79.
  • Moyer, Albert. Joseph Henry: The Rise of an American Scientist. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997, pp. 47-50.

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

September 11, 1826

Topic

  • History of Science and Technology
  • Lectures and lecturing
  • Education
  • Mathematics
  • Educators
  • Mathematical physics
  • Physics
  • Teachers

Place

Albany (N.Y.)

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