Results for "Science and state"
Legislative Logjam to Kitchen Sink
- Date: May 22, 2014
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: In the spring of 1846, after years of debate, the legislative logjam over what the Smithsonian would be was finally broken with compromise legislation by New York Congressman, William Jervis Hough.
“Muse of Scientific Literature”: Leila Forbes Clark
- Date: March 13, 2018
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: In honor of Women’s History Month and the 50th anniversary of Smithsonian Libraries, let’s learn about Leila Gay Forbes Clark (1887-1964), the second woman to direct the Smithsonian’s library. She was beloved by the researchers she worked with (really loved in one case….) and began the restructuring of the many small libraries across the Smithsonian.
Happy Birth Year, Mr. Smithson
- Date: November 17, 2015
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: 2015 is the 250th anniversary of James Smithson’s birth. Although we don’t know the day of his birth, this year we are celebrating his birthday.
James Smithson at Oxford
- Date: September 12, 2011
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_6861,size=300,right] Some students look forward eagerly to the new school year; others dread the end of summer and the long year ahead. How did the Smithsonian’s founding donor, James Smithson (1765-1829), feel about school? Smithson attended Oxford University in England from 1782 to 1786, receiving a Masters of Arts degree in chemistry and mineralogy.
- Blog Post
The Smithsonian's 165th Anniversary
- Date: August 10, 2011
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: Exactly 165 years ago today, legislation establishing the Smithsonian Institution was passed by the US Congress and signed into law by President James K. Polk. From today’s perspective, it seems like a “no-brainer” to accept a generous bequest from a little-known Englishman named James Smithson and create an institution in his name. But from the perspective of that era, the
"The whole Smithsonian was like one big family . . . "
- Date: March 12, 2013
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: For forty years, Miss Helena Weiss kept the Smithsonian running smoothly as a clerk, stenographer, director of the Office of Correspondence and Documents, and Registrar. When she retired, her position was divided into seven separate jobs.
- Blog Post
Diminutive but Determined: Mary Jane Rathbun
- Date: March 6, 2014
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: Mary Jane Rathbun, diminutive but determined, was the first full time female curator at the Smithsonian.
The Smithsonian Goes Telephonic in 1878!
- Date: June 28, 2018
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_9592,size=200,left]Did you know the Smithsonian was an early adopter of the telephone? In June of 1878, a system of electronic bells and telephones was installed throughout the Smithsonian Castle. The system connected several workrooms and offices to provide instant communications within the building. At that time, there were only 187 telephone lines
How Many Birds Have You Seen Today?
- Date: January 5, 2012
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: The Christmas Bird Count was begun in 1900 by the Audubon Society. Many Smithsonian staff have participated in it in the decades since then.
- Blog Post
100 Years of the Natural History Building
- Date: June 17, 2010
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="424" caption="U.S. National Museum, May 3, 1917, seen from the National Mall, by Unknown photographer, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 45, Box 79, Folder: 10, Neg. SIA2009-2203."][/caption] As part of my work as the historian for the history of the Smithsonian, I’ve been working for the past year on
The Long Journey to Scientific Aide: Barry Hampton’s Career
- Date: February 16, 2017
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: Barry Hampton played an important role in Division of Reptiles and Amphibians in the Natural History Museum for decades, but recognition was slow to come.
- Blog Post
Ready-made Home for a Scimitar Horned Oryx and Przewalski’s Horse
- Date: June 25, 2015
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: When Dr. Ted Reed became director of the National Zoological Park in 1959, he committed himself to carrying out the zoo’s complete set of mandates that included research, education, and conservation of endangered species. All these came together in a new non-public facility, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, founded in 1975 in Front Royal, Virginia.