Description: We thought our work was done when a social media follower helped us identify our popular “unidentified male model” as German naturalist Emil Bessels. Then we discovered he may have murdered his captain during the 1871–73 Polaris Expedition.
Description: The ever curious story of mailing children by U.S.P.S. [via Smithsonian Magazine]The 2016 American Alliance of Museums MUSE tech award winners were announced, and the Smithsonian Transcription Center won! [via Center for the Future of Museums]A behind-the-scenes look at Google Cultural Institute. [via Wired UK]A super interesting project, Display at Your Own Risk, examining
Description: On the evening of October 1, 1847, while using a small telescope on the roof of the family home, Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) spotted a comet where one had not been before. Word of this achievement spread quickly through the scientific community. The American Journal of Science declared her “the first American entitled to the honor of the original discovery of a comet.” Some