Subject Guide

General History of Science and Technology

• Epact: Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe

  Epact is an electronic catalogue of medieval and renaissance scientific instruments from four European museums: the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Florence, the British Museum, London, and the Museum Boerhaave, Leiden. Together, these museums house the finest collections of early scientific instruments in the world.

• The Galileo Project

  This site, produced at Rice University, is an essential one for information about Galileo and science during his lifetime, 1564-1642.

• The Nobel e-Museum

  The Nobel e-Museum "aims to provide easy access to information about the scientific and literary achievements as well as peace efforts recognized by the Nobel Prize, and to stimulate interest of students in the Prize areas."

History of Astronomy

• A History of the International Date Line

  A site at the University of Utrecht with a great deal of information about all aspects of what is now known as the International Date Line.

• Johannes Kepler: His Life, His Laws and Times

  A page maintained by NASA in support of its Kepler Mission to search for Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars.

• Starry Messenger

  The Starry Messenger is Phase I of the Electronic History of Astronomy developed in the Whipple Museum of the History of Science and the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. The aim of this project is to make available electronically some aspects of the early history of astronomy for the use of students studying the History and Philosophy of Science in the University.

History of Mathematics

• Nobel Laureates in Physics 1901 - 1999

  A well-constructed page listing in reverse chronological order the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics along with relevant links for each prize winner.

History of Technology

• Building the Washington Metro: On Online Exhibit

  This site tells the story of the Washington Metro, a 103-mile rapid transit system serving Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia. Planning for Metro began in the 1950s, construction began in 1969, and the first segment opened for operation in 1976. Metro is one of the largest public-works projects ever built, and it is the second-busiest rail transit system in the United States.

Individual Scientists and Engineers

• Athanasius Kircher at Stanford

  Athanasius Kircher(1602-1680), the Jesuit polymath, was "widely regarded as the physical embodiment of all the learning of his age... He wrote over thirty separate works dealing with subjects ranging from optics to music, from Egyptology to magnetism." This Stanford site includes links to the Athanasius Kircher Correspondence Project and to a digital edition of The Great Art of Knowing: The Baroque Encyclopedia of Athanasius Kircher.

• The Newton Project

  This site intends "to make available on-line transcripts of all of Newton’s writings, including notes and marginalia, along with scholarly editorial apparatus and translations of non-English text." This site is maintained at Imperial College, London.

Libraries and Archives

• Cornell University Kroch Library: History of Science Collections

  Highlights of this 35,000 volume collection are major holdings on Lavoisier, Boyle, Newton, anatomy, embryology, herbals, and ornithology.

• Huntington Library Science and Technology Collections

  The acquisition of the Burndy Library in 2006 helped make this independent research library near Pasadena, California, one of the world's foremost collections of rare books and manuscripts relating to the history of science and technology.

• Linda Hall Library: History of Science Collections

  This Kansas City library has a marvelous collection of science books and produces a number of excellent online exhibitions on the history of science.

• Stanford University Libraries: History of Science Collections

  Holdings in the history of science include several major book and manuscript collections. Books and manuscripts relating to Sir Isaac Newton total over 4,000 volumes. The collection of early modern science, consisting of over 5,000 volumes, includes works by scientists from Ptolemy to Einstein, and includes original editions of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Vesalius, Boyle, and Darwin.

• The William Marshall Bullitt Collection of Rare Mathematics and Astronomy

  A description of a splendid collection of the greatest mathematical books at the library of the University of Louisville, in Kentucky.

• University of Oklahoma Bizzell Library: History of Science Collections

  This 87,000 volume research library spans works from the 15th century to modern materials. It strives to be as comprehensive as possible in the field of history of science.

• University of Wisconsin Memorial Library: History of Science Collections

  An excellent collection of science books and manuscripts, particularly in chemistry, Robert Boyle, Joseph Priestly, Mesmerism, and ornithology.

Link Sites

• A Selection of Web and other Internet Sources For the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine

  Produced by Tom Settle, a historian of science, this page is a nice collection of links to history of science, technology, and medicine web sites, especially those pertaining to the interests of the Institute and Museum of History of Science in Florence, Italy.

• Astronomiae Historia / History of Astronomy

  English-language version of a web site containing information and links about the history of astronomy as well as science in general. Maintained on behalf of the International Astronomical Union and the Astronomische Gesellschaft.

• ECHO Science & Technology Virtual Center

  "Echo's research center catalogues, annotates, and reviews sites on the history of science, technology, and industry. Together these 5,000 sites make up a significant portion of what we call the History of Science web."

• History of Astronomy and Science Resources

  Another German site (in English) with links to resources in the history of astronomy as well as archaeoastronomy and history of space science.

• History of Mathematics Web Sites

  This is a very helpful web site maintained by David Calvis of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of Baldwin-Wallace College.

• History of Science and Technology : A Research Guide

  A site prepared by the University of Delaware Library that is a well-organized introduction to internet research in history of science and technology.

• Internet History of Science Sourcebook

  A site based at Fordham University which has some interesting links to electronic texts in the history of science.

Museums Institutes and other research centers

• AIP Center for History of Physics

  The American Institute of Physics web site supports the mission of the Center for History of Physics to "preserve and make known the history of modern physics and the allied sciences." The site includes descriptions of the Center's archival collections and links to useful physics and science resources on the Internet.

• Historic American Engineering Record

  National Park Service organization that documents American industrial, maritime, and engineering history.

• Museo Galileo

  Located in Florence, Italy, this bilingual site is a nice complement to the Oxford museum.

• Museum of the History of Science

  Oxford, England, institution with a number of virtual exhibitions and links to other resources.

• Science Museum Group

  UK institution which is actually three separate museums: The Science Museum in London, the National Railway Museum in York, and the National Museum of Photography, Film, and Television in Bradford.

Professional Organizations

• British Society for the History of Science

  UK-based organization joining those with an interest in history of science. They also publish the British Journal for the History of Science.

• History of Science Society

  US-based organization joining those with an interest in history of science. They also publish the journal Isis.

• Institution of Civil Engineers (United Kingdom)

  Professional organization. Their Library page contains a good deal of historical information.

• The British Society for the History of Mathematics

  The aims of the British Society for the History of Mathematics are to promote research into the history of mathematics and its use at all levels of mathematics education. It also has a rich collection of links to history of mathematics web sites.

• The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT)

  An interdisciplinary organization, SHOT is concerned not only with the history of technological devices and processes, but also with the relations of technology to science, politics, social change, the arts and humanities, and economics. They also publish the journal Technology and Culture.