John Wise Letter to Joseph Henry and James P. Epsy (December 15, 1848)
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ID: SIA2012-0437
Creator: Joseph Henry Papers Project
Form/Genre: Document
Date: December 15, 1848
Citation: Rothenberg, Marc, et al, eds., The Papers of Joseph Henry, Volume 7, The Smithsonian Years: January 1847-December 1849 (Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1996), 432
Letter from John Wise, a balloonist, to Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and James P. Epsy, meteorologist, December 15, 1848. In the letter, Wise agrees to make meteorological observations during his balloon ascents, as requested by Henry and Epsy. After he was appointed Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Joseph Henry's first major project was to create the Smithsonian Meteorological Project by using a countrywide network of voluntary observers to record climate information and send it to the Smithsonian via the growing telegraph network. The Smithsonian Meteorological Project existed from 1846-1870 and led to the founding of the National Weather Service.
Historic Images of the Smithsonian
1 page scanned from the edited transcript of the original version and notes in the Joseph Henry Papers Volume 7, pages 432 (Document 237).
Rothenberg, Marc, et al, eds., The Papers of Joseph Henry, Volume 7, The Smithsonian Years: January 1847-December 1849 (Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1996), 432
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
December 15, 1848
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SIA2012-0437
Number of Images: 1 ; Color: Black and White ; Size: 7w x 10h ; Type of Image: Document ; Medium: Paper