Population: 4,019,000,000, detail of a Beckman Instruments ad featuring a view of Earth from outer space, 1977. 📷 Science History Institute | | All events are free and take place online or at the Science History Institute at 315 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia unless otherwise noted. | | Watercolor painting depicting the process of producing Chinese ramie cloth, from The Story of Ramie from Seed to Finished Garment Book 1, ca. 1820–1870. 📷 Science History Institute | | |
Saturdays
April 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24, 2025
10am–5pm EDT
| | | Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights the many strange and surprising stories from the history of science. Our fun, interactive activities are designed for science lovers of all ages. Admission is free and reservations are not required. | | |
Museum Programs & Activities
First Friday: 80s Night
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Friday, May 2, 2025
5pm–7pm EDT
| | | Come dressed in your best 80s attire and join in on the ultimate 80s scavenger hunt through our museum. Explore the science of vinyl records and VHS tapes with our educators, then check out a Rubik’s Cube, a Teddy Ruxpin mechanical toy, and a Sony Walkman. This is the night to celebrate the vibrant, funky, and totally tubular decade we all know and love, and the surprising science behind it all. | | |
Museum Programs & Activities
Drop-in Tours
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Alternating Saturdays
May 3, 17; June 7, 21, 2025
2pm EDT
| | | Join our museum’s Gallery Guides every other Saturday for one of our School Lunch, Women in Chemistry, or Science & Activism tours. Drop-in tours are free and no reservations are necessary. | | 📷 Science History Institute | | |
Special Events
2025 Science History Institute Awards
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Wednesday, May 7, 2025
5:30pm EDT: Doors Open
6pm EDT: Remarks and Ceremony
7pm EDT: Reception
| | | Join us in celebrating the outstanding achievements of Purdue professor Graham Cooks, who will receive the Othmer Gold Medal; technology transfer consultant and Bolte Award winner Lita Nelsen; and MIT professor Timothy Swager, recipient of the AIC Gold Medal. This event is free, but registration is required. | | |
Monday, May 19, 2025–
Thursday, May 22, 2025
10am–1pm EDT
| | | The Science History Institute’s Center for Oral History is proud to provide training to scholars and researchers interested in learning oral history and research interview methodologies. This online workshop will introduce attendees to all aspects of the interview process. Tickets are $75 for individuals, $50 for students. | | |
Museum Programs & Activities
First Friday: Superheroes of Science
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Friday, June 6, 2025
5pm–7pm EDT
| | | Our June First Friday blends fashion, function, and the spirit of Pride! Explore the cutting-edge world of super suits—from swimsuits to binders to bulletproof vests, and everything in between. Discover the science behind the textiles and fabrics that keep us safe, stylish, and supported. In honor of Pride Month, our librarians will also showcase an inspiring collection of books written by LGBTQ+ scientists. | | |
Special Events
Curious Histories Fest: What’s for Lunch?
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Saturday, June 14, 2025
11am–3pm EDT
| | | Inspired by our current exhibition, Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray, this free, daylong event features hands-on activities and family-friendly fun, as well as exciting talks, tours, and highlights from our special collections. Visit our museum; meet our curators; play in our “recess yard”; take part in performances, story times, and special events; and immerse yourself in curiosity! Admission, programs, food, and drink are all free. Plus, the first 100 visitors will receive a Lunchtime lunchbox! | | |
Library Programs & Activities
Othmer Library Tour
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Alternating Wednesdays
June 18; July 2, 16, 2025
12pm–12:45pm EDT
| | | Curious about the other half of the Science History Institute? Step into the Othmer Library of Chemical History! Explore the reading room on a guided tour, learn how our collection has grown, and discover why we have one of the most comprehensive rare book collections on chemistry and its alchemical roots. Registration is required for Wednesday tours; First Friday tours, which begin in August, will be drop-in. | | Sesame drying in a field. 📷 chengwaidefeng | | |
Distillations Magazine
Sesame Plots
Diaspora in twenty-one openings.
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Distillations Magazine
Datos ‘proxy’ que hagan justicia
La historia climática de las regiones tropicales ha sido crónicamente poco estudiada. Corregir el rumbo exigirá nuevos métodos y puntos de vista.
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The Disappearing Spoon Podcast: Episode 3
The Battle Over the Cause of Down Syndrome
A breakthrough proved that people with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome; it also led to a battle with a would-be saint that raises questions about how scientists determine who gets credit.
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The Disappearing Spoon Podcast: Episode 4
The Birds and the Bees and the Frogs
In the mid-1900s, the science of pregnancy prediction had a surprising helper: the Xenopus frog.
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Distillations Magazine
Philadelphia Earth Week, Fifty Years On
The success and shortcomings of the first Earth Day in 1970 still reverberate.
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The Science History Institute Digital Collections house more than 13,800 curated items, including rare and modern books, scientific instruments, letters, photographs, advertisements, videos, oral histories, and more:
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Oral History: Charles F. Lettow, interview about the Toxic Substances Control Act from the perspective of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge and environmental law champion, 2010
| | The publication of Silent Spring by marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson set the tone for the 1960s, marking the turning point in society’s understanding of the interconnections between the environment, the economy, and social well-being. The influential book, which describes how pesticides end up in the water supply and harm other species, led to the eventual ban of DDT, a chemical once considered a “miracle” for its ability to control insect-borne diseases such as typhus and malaria. Silent Spring is widely credited with inspiring Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970. | | |
HACH GALLERY
HORIBA EXHIBIT HALL
BUILDING FAÇADE
MUSEUM MEZZANINE
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Writing Lives in the History of Science opens soon!
DU PONT GALLERY
DU PONT LOBBY
| | Earth, allegorical illustration of a woman representing the earth element, from The Grasselli Chemical Company Catalog, ca. 1900. 📷 Science History Institute | | We tell stories that are out of this world, but we need your help to continue telling them. | | | | | |
