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view of the entrance to Flash! Bang! Boom! exhibition at the Science History Instituteview of the entrance to Flash! Bang! Boom! exhibition at the Science History Institute
NEWS

‘Flash! Bang! Boom!’ Exhibition Opening Lights Up the Night

Launch party attendees explore the history and science of fireworks with rare books, stunning artworks, set pieces, pyrotechnic-themed objects, a curator’s talk, and alfresco dining.

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A group of men posing for a photograph in front of a house.A group of men posing for a photograph in front of a house.
DISTILLATIONS MAGAZINE

The Misogynist Dinner

In 1880, the 4-year-old American Chemical Society threw a tantrum disguised as a party. Here’s why it still matters.

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visitors and librarians looking at book and archive exhibits on a long tablevisitors and librarians looking at book and archive exhibits on a long table
EVENTS

Othmer Library After Hours

Join us during National Library Week for a celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial with the theme “A Blast Through the Past: 250 Years of American Science.”

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 | 6pm-8pm

Register
A folder containing correspondence between Max Delbrück and Leo Szilard, from the History of Molecular Biology CollectionA folder containing correspondence between Max Delbrück and Leo Szilard, from the History of Molecular Biology Collection
COLLECTIONS BLOG

Trespassers in the Archives

How a new collection at the Institute reveals the friction of interdisciplinary science.

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Flash! Bang! Boom!
A History of Fireworks

Part of America’s 250th birthday celebration, this sparkling new exhibition explores the origins of and the science behind fireworks. 

On view through July 31, 2027

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Featured

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EVENTS

From Nature to Nylons: A Touch-Based History of Textiles
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CONFERENCE CENTER

Host an Event
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SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHIES

Mikhail Vasil’evich Lomonosov
Acetate film negative containing X-ray diffraction images of DNA
Collections

History of Molecular Biology Collection
People observing exhibits in a museum setting.
Visit

Group & School Tours
Portrait of Agnes Pockels painted by her aunt, Caroline Pockels
DISTILLATIONS PODCAST

Agnes Pockels and the Kitchen Sink Myth

Collect. Preserve. Interpret. Share.

Through research, storytelling, public programming, and educational outreach, we reveal how science is embedded in our daily lives.

plastic yellow oven mitt and flip flop

Museum
rare books

Library
illustration of man blowing out a fire

Stories
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Education
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Collections
A Beckman Center fellow conducts research in the Othmer Library.

Research

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