| | 1 | Author: | Anonymous | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | [Eclipses of the sun and moon, 1820-1838], n.d.
| | | | Dates: | Circa 1820-1838 | | | | Abstract: | This collection of astronomical calculations from 1786-1838 consists of various loose notes on eclipses and solar/lunar calculations, including information on an eclipse as witnessed in Canton and Philadelphia. The collection also has a folio size bound volume that diagrams (sometimes with color added) eclipses for the years 1818, 1820, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1829, 1838, as observed in Philadelphia.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.521.8.Ec6 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Astronomy. | Eclipses. | |
| 3 | Author: | Genth, F. A. (Frederick Augustus), 1820-1893 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Complete catalogue of the collection of minerals of Dr. F. A. Genth, [n.d.]
| | | | Dates: | n.d. | | | | Abstract: | The bound volume contains a catalogue of Frederick Augustus Genth's library. It is over 100 pages long. Genth was a prominent scientist in Europe and the United States. Born in Germany, he fled during the tumult of 1848, arriving in Baltimore before settling in Philadelphia where he worked as a contract scientist and professor. A large portion of his papers are housed at Penn State.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.549.G283 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Minerals -- Catalogs and collections. | |
| 4 | Author: | Grew, Theophilus,d. 1759. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Tables of the sun and moon fitted to the meridian of Philadephia, [1746-1761], n.d.
| | | | Dates: | n.d. | | | | Abstract: | Theophilus Grew was an astronomer, teacher, and author in Philadelphia. He provided astronomical calculations for many almanacs, including Poor Richard's. This single volume contains Grew's astronomical calculations for 1746-1761 for Philadelphia, which likely served as the basis for data used in almanacs. He was also a teacher. He ran a school before joining the early faculty in what would become the University of Pennsylvania. The volume can shed light on astronomical methods and calculations in early America, and what type of methods may have been taught to students in 1750s Philadelphia.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.524.G86t | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Education | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Astronomy -- Charts, diagrams, etc. | Eclipses. | Spherical astronomy. | |
| 6 | Author: | Priestley, Joseph, 1733-1804 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Experiments relating to phlogiston and the conversion of water into air, 1783
| | | | Dates: | 1783 | | | | Abstract: | This tall, slender volume details Joseph Priestley's experiments with the principles of fire, specifically inflammability, in 1783. The volume contains an essay laying out the theory of and debate surrounding "phlogiston" and then describes the experiments he took to prove its existence.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.540.1.P93 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Phlogiston. | |
| 15 | Author: | Michaux, Francois André, 1770-1855 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Francois André Michaux papers, 1802-1911
| | | | Dates: | 1802-1911 | | | | Abstract: | The F.A. Michaux Collection is a large collection of correspondence. Francois Michaux was the son of Andre Michaux. He was, like his father, a botanist. Francois also was an active member of the APS. Michaux regularly corresponded with peers in Europe, and this collection captures the conveyance of news, information, and knowledge across the Atlantic. As an active member of the APS and other institutions, Michaux's correspondence also lends insight into the establishment and operation of many scientific institutions. The vast majority of the collection consists of outgoing correspondence from Michaux; his primary correspondent was John Vaughan of the APS. The correspondence is almost exclusively in French. Later documents reflect the APS's continued interest in silviculture, which was spurred by a bequest by Michaux. Included in this section is the APS's acquisition of books and involvement in forest preservation and development, including the planting and preservation of Michaux Grove in Fairmount Park.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.M58.1 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | Foreign Language | General Correspondence | Institutional Records | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Forests and forestry -- United States. | |
| 16 | Author: | Rauschardt, Felix Hannibal. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Arithmetica decimalis oder rechenkunst der geometrischen zehen theiligen ruthen, [and] Tractatus von der fortification, 1648-1649
| | | | Dates: | 1648-1649 | | | | Abstract: | This interesting volume, supposedly found in the Bastille and transferred to Peter DuPonceau in the 19th century, contains information on mathematics and military science. The cover is ornamentally decorated in ink, some of which is colored. The text contains a section on geometry and trigonometry that includes many diagrams and calculations. The second part contains information on fortification and military sciences, some of which seems to apply the mathematics of the previous section to artillery and fortification design. The section on fortifications contains drawings and sketches of forts.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.511.R19a | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Beyond Early America | Military History | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | Military Records | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Fortification. | Geometry. | Mathematics. | Trigonometry. | |
| 17 | Author: | Alexander, William, 1726-1783 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Variation of the compass, 1773
| | | | Dates: | 1773 | | | | Abstract: | This slender volume is an essay by William Alexander, a prominent figure in New Jersey politics and business. Alexander wrote this essay with the hope that it would spur the American Philosophical Society to support the study of variations in compasses. Alexander's interest in this subject likely had to do with his background as a merchant. He realized compass variations created inefficiencies and risks for captains and the merchants that relied on them. Alexander appeals specifically to the APS's mission by stating that such a study would be "useful to mankind." Alexander's essays shows that he is conversant in many of the current theories about variations. He also proposed a plan for the APS to facilitate a systematic study of compass variations that he believed would produce a clear general law for variations in compasses.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.522.76.Al2 | | | | Extent: | 1 item(s) | | | | Topics: | Science and technology | Surveying and Maps | Trade | | | | Genre: | Scientific Correspondence | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Astronomy -- 18th century | Compass. | Learned institutions and societies. | |
| 19 | Author: | Hays, Isaac,1796-1879. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Isaac and I. Minis Hays papers
| | | | Dates: | Circa 1820-1925 | | | | Abstract: | Isaac Hays was a Philadelphia ophthalmologist who was also deeply involved in natural history. The Isaac Hays material has two discreet sections: a volume of correspondence for 1824-1855 and a collection of loose manuscripts. The first part of the collection is a bound volume that contains the correspondence Hays carried on with other prominent naturalists in the nineteenth century from 1824–1855, although the bulk come from the 1820s and early 1830s. Prominent correspondents in this series include Charles Lucien Bonaparte, George Ord, Thomas Say, and Charles Lesueur. All of the correspondence is incoming, addressed to Hays. Occasionally the correspondence involves commentary on other current events in addition to the obvious scientific nature of the correspondence. A letter from Bonaparte, for instance, discusses the rivalry between the Philadelphia and New York orchestras. The Ord correspondence, written mostly from Europe, makes reference to Audubon, Ord's ornithological rival, and scientific publications and thought prominent in Europe. The Say correspondence, written from New Harmony, also provides insight on that utopian experiment and his relationship with Lesueur, who also settled in New Harmony. There are only a few Lesueur letters, all of which are in French and written from New Harmony.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.H334 | | | | Extent: | 1.75 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Natural history | Science and technology | Social Life and Custom | | | | Genre: | General Correspondence | Scientific Data | | | | Subjects: | Medical publishing -- United States -- 19th century. | Medical publishing -- United States. | Medicine -- Societies, etc. | Medicine -- United States -- 19th century. | Medicine -- United States. | Natural history. | Paleontology. | |
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