First Friday: May Flowers

As we welcome in the May flowers, we’re celebrating the amazing chemical powers of plants! Stop by our handling collection table in our museum to learn how plants become the clothing in our closets and the drinks in our cups or make your own botany book to help distinguish between what’s medicine and what’s poison! Our library team will also showcase a selection of rare books on medicinal plants. 

We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of our new exterior exhibition, First-Class Flora: A Stamp Collection of Medicinal Plants. While the exhibition launches outside, select stamps from this remarkable collection will also be on display inside the museum. Join us at 6pm outside for brief remarks from the curator, Taylor Bailey.

The Greater Philadelphia Stamp & Collectors Club will be on site with a special display of their historical stamp collections.

Send a piece of history to your friends! We’ll provide postcards and modern botanical stamps so you can mail a spring greeting right from the Science History Institute. 🌻

Come celebrate the living chemistry of spring and leave with a deeper appreciation for the plants that have clothed, healed, and inspired us for generations. We look forward to seeing you there!

Othmer Library Tours

Did you know? We are giving public tours of our research library every First Friday! Come by at 5:15pm to get a behind-the-scenes look upstairs at the resources and archives available to all scientifically curious minds. Registration is not required, but space is limited. Learn more here.

About First Fridays

Spark your curiosity while exploring the exhibits after hours! First Fridays bring together a myriad of activities covering everyday science, historical oddities, and everything in between. Grab your friends, and kick off an evening of discovery, surprise, and a little nerdy fun.

First Fridays at the Institute are always free and open to the public. Attendees will receive a 10% discount to National Mechanics restaurant.

Featured image: Wei’s purple (魏紫) postage stamp, China; August 10, 1964