Science History Institute

05/26/2026

What does it look like when care and creativity are treated as essential to scientific work?⁠
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Eugene Garfield played an essential role in creating the technoscientific world we occupy today. He imagined a workplace guided by a simple belief: “Efficient, Humane.” ⁠
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Garfield believed creativity was central to business success and scientific progress, so he filled his office buildings with art commissioned from around the world. At his Philadelphia company, the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), he also designed a custom childcare center meant to support employees and their families, reflecting his conviction that people thrive when their whole lives are valued. ⁠
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In this Distillations story, our public historian of science, Judith Kaplan, shares how the Caring Center for Parents and Children was intended as a model for employer-sponsored care, but political and financial realities ultimately stood in the way.⁠

Click here to read this story now ⬇️

What does it take to care for a scientific workforce?

05/05/2026

🪵 Sandalwood has been valued for its sweet smell and rich wood for millennia. It drove the expansion of Indian empire, and the Western colonial empires that followed. Industrialization then turned sandalwood into a luxury commodity and a scarce, illicit good. ⁠
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In the latest Distillations story, former fellow Nikhil Dharan unpacks how sandalwood smuggling became a crime, revealing the tangled connections between natural resources, politics, law, chemical industries, and criminality.⁠

Tap the link below to read now.
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A war between police and a notorious outlaw riveted South India for more than a decade. At the conflict’s roots was a centuries-old saga of scarcity and control.

04/23/2026

🎉 NEW at the Science History Institute!⁠
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💐 Our new exterior exhibition First-Class Flora: A Stamp Collection of Medicinal Plants, can now be seen on our building's façade!⁠
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🌸 The botanical stamps featured in First-Class Flora are part of a larger collection known as The World of Chemistry in Stamps. They were compiled over a 40-year period by Richard Marston Lawrence (1906–1991), a market researcher for the chemical industry. Lawrence collected hundreds of stamps from more than 90 countries related to the history of chemistry. ⁠
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🪻 Most of the collection consists of stamps commemorating famous scientists and chemical discoveries, but a portion is devoted to stamps of plants with medicinal uses.⁠
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📅 On view through April 2027⁠
Come see it for yourself!⁠
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To learn more about First-Class Flora, tap the link below!

➡️ https://www.sciencehistory.org/visit/exhibitions/first-class-flora/

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

A new exhibition exploring the history and science of fireworks will open April 10, 2026 at the Hach Gallery in Philadelphia.

Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks offers a detailed look at the evolution of pyrotechnics—from early hand-crafted designs and rare historical texts to modern production, testing, and display technologies.

Timed with the nation’s 250th anniversary, this exhibition highlights the centuries of craftsmanship, chemistry, and innovation that have shaped fireworks into a lasting part of American celebration.

Fireworks have been part of our nation’s story since the first Independence Day—and continue to serve as a symbol of tradition, community, and celebration.

Visitors will explore the full lifecycle of fireworks through five key stages: making, designing, testing, selling, and launching.

Learn more here: https://www.sciencehistory.org/visit/exhibitions/history-of-fireworks/

Photo: Appleton, John Howard. “Figure 53: Display of Fireworks on the Seine, Paris.” Chemistry, Developed by Facts and Principles Drawn Chiefly from the Non-Metals. Providence, Rhode Island: Providence Lithograph Company, 1884. Science History Institute. Philadelphia. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/g7ye8xl.

04/10/2026

03/24/2026

🤔 Can oats be controversial? Can porridge be political? Can oatmeal be dangerous? Do the choices in the grains you eat betray your character? Yes, and they have for millennia. ⁠
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Read the latest story from Distillations magazine, Fitter for a Stable Than a Table, written by historian, writer, and critic, Helena C. Aeberli.⁠
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🥣 Tap the link below to dig in!⁠

https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/fitter-for-a-stable-than-a-table/
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⁠📷️ Quaker Oats ad, 1967.

03/16/2026

🧠 Mind if we pick your brain...
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Did you know that every third week in March is Brain Awareness Week?⁠
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Just in time for Brain Awareness Week, this Collections Blog post, written by our Senior Manager of Communications, Dana Rodriguez, explores the complexities of brain function, particularly through her own personal experience with epilepsy. ⁠
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Dana's research journey highlights the historical misconceptions and ongoing struggle for effective treatments. With 1 in 26 people affected by epilepsy, it's a reminder of the importance of research and awareness. ⁠
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Tap the link in below to read "A Gray Matter" now.⁠

➡️➡️➡️ https://www.sciencehistory.org/collections/blog/a-gray-matter/
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You can learn more about epilepsy and other brain disorders by participating in Brain Awareness Week, a legacy initiative of the Dana Foundation and a global campaign to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science, held March 16-22, 2026.⁠

We’re still scratching our heads over how the brain works.