Ad for colored stockings 1955

Nylon: From Labs to Legs

Digital Exhibition

Discover the world's first fully synthetic fiber and how it paved the way for countless other artificial materials.
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Cover of John Tresch book on Edgar Allen Poe

In Conversation with John Tresch

Thursday, October 21, 2021 | 7:00 p.m. EDT

Joint virtual talk with the Rosenbach about Tresch’s new book on Edgar Allan Poe’s obsession with scientific practice and discovery.
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Scientist Percy Julian in a lab 1930s

Institute Receives NEH SHARP Grant for ‘White Coats, Black Lives’ Project


$359K+ award will support the exploration of the historical roots and persistent legacies of racism in American science and medicine.
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illustrations of chimney sweeps

The ‘Mary Poppins’ Cancer

Distillations Podcast

The life of chimney sweeps was nasty, poor, brutish, filthy dirty, and usually short, thanks to a rare cancer of the genitals.
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Water Pics exhibition

Science History Institute Mounts New Outdoor Exhibition


An extension of Downstream, Water Pics showcases a series of anti-pollution posters created in the 1950s by the Pennsylvania Sanitary Water Board.
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The Science History Institute collects and shares the stories of the innovators and scientific discoveries that shape our lives. We preserve and interpret the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.

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