History of Science Archives | Page 2 of 8

On the Vegetable World as Contributing to the Great Exhibition by Edward Forbes, Professor of Botany, King’s College, London, Etc., 8 pages (1851)

On the Vegetable World as Contributing to the Great Exhibition, by Edward Forbes (1851)

London in 1851 was site of the Great Exhibition. Formally, it was titled, “The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations“. The press focused attention on the giant glass house containing the […]

150,000,000 B.C. - The Prehistoric Monsters of Crystal Palace - rare 1968 pamphlet features this photograph of the standing Iguanodon in camouflage painting.

Crystal Palace Dinosaurs – Rare 1968 Pamphlet – 150,000,000 B.C.

“150,000,000 B.C.” is a rare pamphlet about the Crystal Palace dinosaurs and other statues by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins created in the 1850s in Crystal Palace Park, Sydenham. It was published by the Greater London Council […]

Karl Pearson Given Centenary Celebration at UCL, 1957

Karl Pearson (1857-1936) was given the centenary celebration at University College London in 1957. This was organised by his successor as Head of the Department of Statistics (and son), Professor Egon Pearson. The event included […]

Otter diorama in James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2013.

Newton Horace Winchell’s History of Geological Surveys in Minnesota (1889)

Newton Horace Winchell (1939-1914) had a profound effect on the size and shape of geological surveys in the American midwest. His 1889 History of Geological Surveys in Minnesota provides a good synopsis of, and some […]

Karl Pearson, 1910, University College London

Student Satire Aimed at Karl Pearson’s 1904 Eugenics Lecture

Historians of eugenics have been slow to research criticisms of eugenics from within research and learning communities. A notable exception is Ewa Barbara Luczak’s (2022) Mocking Eugenics: American Culture Against Scientific Hatred. (Also look for […]

Autumn flower in garden at Bateman's, home of Rudyard Kipling, East Sussex

History of Botany at University College London (UCL) – First 100 years

When University College London (UCL) launched in 1826, botany was included in its academic range. In part, this was supported by its relationship to medicine and pharmacology. Also in part, it was related to systematics […]

St Paul's Cathedral, London, UK, and close-up of Queen Anne's statue at West Entrance

Did You Say ‘Alligator’? Mystery Animal Outside St Paul’s Cathedral

There’s a mystery animal outside St Paul’s Cathedral in central London. What is it? The best, first historical source describes it as an alligator. Seriously? To locate it, visit St Paul’s Cathedral churchyard. Move to […]

Evolution of Man exhibit in Natural History Gallery in Horniman Museum

Evolution of Man Exhibit in Horniman Museum

The Evolution of Man exhibit in the Natural History Gallery in Horniman Museum. This post presents a photo gallery. The Evolution of Man exhibit has evolved significantly over many years. The current presentation is much reduced […]

Case 91 Evolution - Heredity - Mendelism | Evidences of Evolution exhibit | Horniman Museum

Heredity and Mendelism Display in Horniman Museum

The “Heredity – Mendelism” display occupies case 91 of the Evidences of Evolution exhibit in the Natural History Gallery of Horniman Museum. This photo gallery presents close-up detail for this display, with apologies for the […]

Aquarium in Horniman Museum

Photo gallery for the Aquarium in Horniman Museum. The elements focusing on British coastal life mention the work on Philip Henry Gosse, whose advocacy of the aquarium and vivarium helped to launch a mid-Victorian craze […]

Professor Joe Cain

UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology

History of Science