Science History Institute

Ring the Bell, It’s Lunchtime! 🍽️ Get ready for our latest exhibition, 'Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray,' which explores the surprising story behind one of the most familiar rites of passage—eating a school lunch! 🍎🥛 sciencehistory.org/lunchtime

Science and Society in the Age of Revolutions! This September the APS and the @SciHistoryOrg will host a joint conference! Check out the program and register online! amphilsoc.org/events/science… #historyofscience #AmericaRevolution #Archives

Studies of wool helped weave a path to the structure of DNA? They did indeed, thanks to physicist Florence Bell - new biog just written for the Science History Institute in Philadelphia - @SciHistoryOrg #histSTM explains how! sciencehistory.org/education/scie…

Just got a private tour of the Science History Institute's rare books library, an archive of OLD chemistry/science books+manuscripts, some dating back to the 1400s. some hilariously outdated. Books on alchemy, etc. There's a manuscript handwritten by Isaac Newton. Crazy stuff.

🎉TOMORROW! ☔️ Rain or 🌞 shine! Meet us at 315 Chestnut Street for Curious Histories Fest! We'll have hands-on activities, tasty food, free ice cream, and family-friendly fun! PLUS, the first 100 visitors will receive a free lunchbox! See you there! sciencehistory.org/fest

Join us for our annual Curious Histories Fest this SATURDAY, 6/14, from 11 am - 3 pm! Explore the science of food with hands-on activities, talks, and tasty samples! 🥒🍪 First 100 guests get a FREE lunchbox! No registration needed! Learn more: sciencehistory.org/fest 🎊🎉

School lunch, a familiar rite of passage that’s more than 100 years in the making. It's been a marvel of science and logistics, shaped by war, depression, and a pandemic. Is there room to show some grace to those rectangular pizzas and frozen patties?⬇️ sciencehistory.org/stories/distil…

Why did so many doctors and engineers enthusiastically embrace the Nazis? Vanity, opportunism, and pseudoscience. Listen now—and get a DISCOUNT PROMO CODE for my new book, Dinner with King Tut: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… @scihistoryorg sciencehistory.org/stories/disapp…

From "penny lunches" in the 1890s to today’s kale and quinoa—school lunches have come a long way. A fascinating look at how American schools have fed generations of kids for over 100 years: bit.ly/3SIFa97

🐈 Check out our latest Collections Blog post "Here, Kitty, Kitty . . ." as our director of Library Services and Collections Blog coeditor, Gabriela Zoller, explores the feline friends hiding in our collections.⁠ ⁠⬇️ sciencehistory.org/collections/bl…

When Charles Dickens included a scene about spontaneous combustion in one of his novels, some scientists went ballistic. It ignited one of the strangest controversies in literary history. New episode below! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… @scihistoryorg sciencehistory.org/stories/disapp…

So nice to see #ScienceTakesATrip in bookstores. Science for kids! @UniFAU @HSMOxford @SciHistoryOrg @PhysInHistory @HISTORY @Shipululo

Be sure to check out other Philadelphia institutions participating in International Museum Day, like @amrevmuseum and @scihistoryorg.

It was one the largest epidemics in American history, resulting in 30,000 cases of paralysis. And it would be forgotten today if not for blues musicians who recorded the details in their songs. New podcast below! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… @scihistoryorg sciencehistory.org/stories/disapp…

Asbestos was once considered a miracle substance, due to its ability to stop the fires that plagued every city. Sadly, it also shreds people’s lungs—until one crusading doctor ended this scourge. Full story below! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… @scihistoryorg sciencehistory.org/stories/disapp…

Although forgotten today, rickets once devastated children, leaving their bones twisted. Finding the cause took decades, but ended with a startling discovery—nothing less than human photosynthesis. Story below! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… @scihistoryorg sciencehistory.org/stories/disapp…

🌟Member Spotlight🌟We’re excited to share that @PHLschools was featured in the @NYTimes! The article dives into the exhibit “Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray” at the @SciHistoryOrg. Don’t miss the full article! #SchoolLunch #USFA nyti.ms/3RwEkvB

We are thrilled to share that our current exhibition, Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray, has been highlighted in a recent @nytimes article from their Museums Special Section! Read it here!⬇️ nytimes.com/2025/04/23/art…

Compared to his father Charles, Leonard Darwin felt like a failure—a mediocre military officer and two-bit politician. Then Leonard found his calling: the dark world of eugenics. Hear his chilling tale below... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… @scihistoryorg sciencehistory.org/stories/disapp…