The Science of James Smithson

Download The Science of James Smithson PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Smithsonian Institution
ISBN 13 : 1588346900
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Science of James Smithson by : Steven Turner

Download or read book The Science of James Smithson written by Steven Turner and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Accessible exploration of the noteworthy scientific career of James Smithson, who left his fortune to establish the Smithsonian Institution. James Smithson is best known as the founder of the Smithsonian Institution, but few people know his full and fascinating story. He was a widely respected chemist and mineralogist and a member of the Royal Society, but in 1865, his letters, collection of 10,000 minerals, and more than 200 unpublished papers were lost to a fire in the Smithsonian Castle. His scientific legacy was further written off as insignificant in an 1879 essay published through the Smithsonian fifty years after his death--a claim that author Steven Turner demonstrates is far from the truth. By providing scientific and intellectual context to his work, The Science of James Smithson is a comprehensive tribute to Smithson's contributions to his fields, including chemistry, mineralogy, and more. This detailed narrative illuminates Smithson and his quest for knowledge at a time when chemists still debated thing as basic as the nature of fire, and struggled to maintain their networks amid the ever-changing conditions of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

The Lost World of James Smithson

Download The Lost World of James Smithson PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : A&C Black
ISBN 13 : 1408820757
Total Pages : 577 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (88 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Lost World of James Smithson by : Heather Ewing

Download or read book The Lost World of James Smithson written by Heather Ewing and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2010-12-15 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1836 the United States government received a strange and unprecedented gift - a bequest of 104,960 gold sovereigns (then worth half a million dollars) to establish a foundation in Washington 'for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men'. The Smithsonian Institution, as it would eventually be called, grew into the largest museum and research complex in the world. Yet it owes its existence to an Englishman who never set foot in the United States, and who has remained a shadowy figure for more than a hundred and fifty years. Smithson lived a restless life in the capitals of Europe during the turbulent years of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars; at one time he was trailed by the French secret police, and later languished as a prisoner of war in Denmark for four long years. Yet despite a certain a penchant for gambling and fine living, he had, by the time of his death in Paris in 1829, amassed a financial fortune and a wealth of scientific papers that he left to the new democracy America. Spurned by his natural father and his country, he would be acknowledged for his own achievements in the New World. Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters from archives all over Europe and the United States, Heather Ewing tells the full and compelling story for the first time, revealing a life lived at the heart of the English Enlightenment and illuminating the mind that sparked the creation of America's greatest museum.

The Scientific Writings of James Smithson

Download The Scientific Writings of James Smithson PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (57 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Scientific Writings of James Smithson by : James Smithson

Download or read book The Scientific Writings of James Smithson written by James Smithson and published by . This book was released on 1879 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Scientific Writings of James Smithson

Download The Scientific Writings of James Smithson PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780598420534
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (25 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Scientific Writings of James Smithson by : James Smithson

Download or read book The Scientific Writings of James Smithson written by James Smithson and published by . This book was released on 1879 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum

Download The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : New Word City
ISBN 13 : 161230849X
Total Pages : 480 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (123 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum by : Nina Burleigh

Download or read book The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum written by Nina Burleigh and published by New Word City. This book was released on 2015-03-13 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In her illuminating and dramatic biography The Stranger and the Statesman, New York Times bestselling author Nina Burleigh reveals a little-known slice of history in the life and times of the man responsible for the creation of the United States' principal cultural institution, the Smithsonian. It was one of the nineteenth century's greatest philanthropic gifts - and one of its most puzzling mysteries. In 1829, a wealthy English naturalist named James Smithson left his library, mineral collection, and entire fortune to the "United States of America, to found... an establishment for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men" - even though he had never visited the United States or known any Americans. In this fascinating book, Burleigh pieces together the reclusive benefactor's life, beginning with his origins as the Paris-born illegitimate son of the first Duke of Northumberland and a wild adventuress who preserved for her son a fortune through gall and determination. The book follows Smithson through his university years and his passionate study of minerals across Europe during the chaos of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Detailed are his imprisonment - simply for being an Englishman in the wrong place - his experiences in the gambling dens of France, and his lonely and painstaking scientific pursuits. After Smithson's death, nineteenth-century American politicians were given the task of securing his half-million dollars - the equivalent today of $50 million - and then trying to determine how to increase and diffuse knowledge from the muddy, brawling new city of Washington. Burleigh discloses how Smithson's bequest was nearly lost due to fierce battles among many clashing Americans - Southern slavers, states' rights advocates, nation-builders, corrupt frontiersmen, and Anglophobes who argued over whether a gift from an Englishman should even be accepted. She also reveals the efforts of the unsung heroes, mainly former president John Quincy Adams, whose tireless efforts finally saw Smithson's curious notion realized in 1846, with a castle housing the United States' first and greatest cultural and scientific establishment.

The Scientific Writings of James Smithson

Download The Scientific Writings of James Smithson PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Legare Street Press
ISBN 13 : 9781020894961
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (949 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Scientific Writings of James Smithson by : Smithson James

Download or read book The Scientific Writings of James Smithson written by Smithson James and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection gathers the scientific works of James Smithson, an English chemist and mineralogist who also contributed greatly to the fields of geology and physics. Smithson is best known for bequeathing his fortune to found the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. His scientific writings cover a wide range of subjects, from crystallography to meteorology, and are marked by rigorous experimentation and a commitment to advancing knowledge through the scientific method. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Funding Smithsonian Scientific Research

Download Funding Smithsonian Scientific Research PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309182476
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Funding Smithsonian Scientific Research by : National Research Council

Download or read book Funding Smithsonian Scientific Research written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2003-01-28 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report assesses whether the Smithsonian Institution should continue to receive direct federal appropriations for its scientific research programs or if this funding should be transferred to a peer-reviewed program open to all researchers in another agency. The report concludes that the National Museum of Natural History, the National Zoological Park, and the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education in Suitland should remain exempt from having to compete for federal research dollars because they make unique contributions to the scientific and museum communities. Three other Smithsonian research programs should continue to receive federal funding since they are performing science of the highest quality and already compete for much of their government research money.

The Demon Crown

Download The Demon Crown PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : William Morrow
ISBN 13 : 9780062843234
Total Pages : 441 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (432 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Demon Crown by : James Rollins

Download or read book The Demon Crown written by James Rollins and published by William Morrow. This book was released on 2017 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed, and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group, killing them all, save one: an entomologist, an expert on venomous creatures, Professor Ken Matsui from Cornell University. Strangest of all, this inexplicable threat traces back to a terrifying secret buried a century ago beneath the National Mall: a cache of bones preserved in amber..."--

The Scientific Writings of James Smithson (Classic Reprint)

Download The Scientific Writings of James Smithson (Classic Reprint) PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9780331221480
Total Pages : 174 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (214 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Scientific Writings of James Smithson (Classic Reprint) by : James Smithson

Download or read book The Scientific Writings of James Smithson (Classic Reprint) written by James Smithson and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-04-05 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Scientific Writings of James Smithson No. 1 consisted of Tabasheer extracted from the bamboo by Dr. Russell himself. No. 2 had been partly taken from the reed in Dr. Rus sel's presence, and partly brought to him at different times by a person who worked in bamboos. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Sea of Glory

Download Sea of Glory PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1440649103
Total Pages : 480 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (46 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sea of Glory by : Nathaniel Philbrick

Download or read book Sea of Glory written by Nathaniel Philbrick and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2004-10-26 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A treasure of a book."—David McCullough The harrowing story of a pathbreaking naval expedition that set out to map the entire Pacific Ocean, dwarfing Lewis and Clark with its discoveries, from the New York Times bestselling author of Valiant Ambition and In the Hurricane's Eye. A New York Times Notable Book America's first frontier was not the West; it was the sea, and no one writes more eloquently about that watery wilderness than Nathaniel Philbrick. In his bestselling In the Heart of the Sea Philbrick probed the nightmarish dangers of the vast Pacific. Now, in an epic sea adventure, he writes about one of the most ambitious voyages of discovery the Western world has ever seen—the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842. On a scale that dwarfed the journey of Lewis and Clark, six magnificent sailing vessels and a crew of hundreds set out to map the entire Pacific Ocean and ended up naming the newly discovered continent of Antarctica, collecting what would become the basis of the Smithsonian Institution. Combining spellbinding human drama and meticulous research, Philbrick reconstructs the dark saga of the voyage to show why, instead of being celebrated and revered as that of Lewis and Clark, it has—until now—been relegated to a footnote in the national memory. Winner of the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize

Circles

Download Circles PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1439127956
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (391 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Circles by : James Burke

Download or read book Circles written by James Burke and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-11-24 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of The Knowledge Web come fifty mesmerizing journeys into the history of technology, each following a chain of consequential events that ends precisely where it began. Whether exploring electromagnetic fields, the origin of hot chocolate, or DNA fingerprinting, these essays -- which originally appeared in James Burke's popular Scientific American column -- all illustrate the serendipitous and surprisingly circular nature of change. In "Room with (Half) a View," for instance, Burke muses about the partly obscured railway bridge outside his home on the Thames. Thinking of the bridge engineer, who also built the steamship that laid the first transatlantic telegraph cable, causes him to recall Samuel Morse; which, in turn, conjures up Morse's neighbor, firearms inventor Sam Colt, and his rival, Remington. One dizzying connection after another leads to Karl Marx's daughter, who attended Socialist meetings with a trombonist named Gustav Holst, who once lived in the very house that blocks Burke's view of the bridge on the Thames. Burke's essays all evolve in this organic manner, highlighting the interconnectedness of seemingly unrelated events and innovations. Romantic poetry leads to brandy distillation; tonic water connects through Leibniz to the first explorers to reach the North Pole. Witty, instructive, and endlessly entertaining, Circles expands on the trademark style that has captivated James Burke fans for years. This unique collection is sure to stimulate and delight history buffs, technophiles, and anyone else with a healthy intellectual curiosity.

Ignorance and Uncertainty

Download Ignorance and Uncertainty PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1461236282
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (612 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Ignorance and Uncertainty by : Michael Smithson

Download or read book Ignorance and Uncertainty written by Michael Smithson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ignorance and Uncertainty overviews a variety of approaches to the problem of indeterminacies in human thought and behavior. This book examines, in depth, trends in the psychology of judgment and decision-making under uncertainty or ignorance. Research from the fields of cognitive psychology, social psychology, organizational studies, sociology, and social anthroplogy are reviewed here in anticipation of what Dr. Smithson characterizes as the beginning of a "creative dialogue between these researchers". Ignorance and Uncertainty offers the conceptual framework for understanding the paradigms associated with current research. It discusses the ways in which attitudes toward ignorance and uncertainty are changing, and addresses issues previously ignored.

Who Owns America's Past?

Download Who Owns America's Past? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421411008
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Who Owns America's Past? by : Robert C. Post

Download or read book Who Owns America's Past? written by Robert C. Post and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "From an insider's perspective, Robert C. Post ... offers insight into the politics of display and the interpretation of history. Never before has a book about the Smithsonian detailed the recent and dramatic shift from collection-driven shows, with artifacts meant to speak for themselves, to concept-driven exhibitions, in which objects aim to tell a story, displayed like illustrations in a book"--Dust jacket flap.

James Smithson and His Bequest

Download James Smithson and His Bequest PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis James Smithson and His Bequest by : William Jones Rhees

Download or read book James Smithson and His Bequest written by William Jones Rhees and published by . This book was released on 1880 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects

Download The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0143128159
Total Pages : 786 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (431 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects by : Richard Kurin

Download or read book The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects written by Richard Kurin and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 786 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Smithsonian Institution is America's largest, most important, and most beloved repository for the objects that define our common heritage. Now Under Secretary for Art, History, and Culture Richard Kurin, aided by a team of top Smithsonian curators and scholars, has assembled a literary exhibition of 101 objects from across the Smithsonian's museums that together offer a marvelous new perspective on the history of the United States. Ranging from the earliest years of the pre-Columbian continent to the digital age, and from the American Revolution to Vietnam, each entry pairs the fascinating history surrounding each object with the story of its creation or discovery and the place it has come to occupy in our national memory. Kurin sheds remarkable new light on objects we think we know well, from Lincoln's hat to Dorothy's ruby slippers and Julia Child's kitchen, including the often astonishing tales of how each made its way into the collections of the Smithsonian. Other objects will be eye-opening new discoveries for many, but no less evocative of the most poignant and important moments of the American experience. Some objects, such as Harriet Tubman's hymnal, Sitting Bull's ledger, Cesar Chavez's union jacket, and the Enola Gay bomber, tell difficult stories from the nation's history, and inspire controversies when exhibited at the Smithsonian. Others, from George Washington's sword to the space shuttle Discovery, celebrate the richness and vitality of the American spirit. In Kurin's hands, each object comes to vivid life, providing a tactile connection to American history. Beautifully designed and illustrated with color photographs throughout, The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects is a rich and fascinating journey through America's collective memory, and a beautiful object in its own right.

Allan Kaprow, Robert Smithson, and the Limits to Art

Download Allan Kaprow, Robert Smithson, and the Limits to Art PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520245415
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (22 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Allan Kaprow, Robert Smithson, and the Limits to Art by : Philip Ursprung

Download or read book Allan Kaprow, Robert Smithson, and the Limits to Art written by Philip Ursprung and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2013-05-10 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This innovative study of two of the most important artists of the twentieth century links the art practices of Allan Kaprow and Robert Smithson in their attempts to test the limits of art--both what it is and where it is. Ursprung provides a sophisticated yet accessible analysis, placing the two artists firmly in the art world of the 1960s as well as in the art historical discourse of the following decades. Although their practices were quite different, they both extended the studio and gallery into desert landscapes, abandoned warehouses, industrial sites, train stations, and other spaces. Ursprung bolsters his argument with substantial archival research and sociological and economic models of expansion and limits.

Smithsonian Ocean

Download Smithsonian Ocean PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0061343838
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (613 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Smithsonian Ocean by : Deborah Cramer

Download or read book Smithsonian Ocean written by Deborah Cramer and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2008-10-07 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nobel Prize winner Al Gore wrote of Deborah Cramer's previous book Great Waters, "I urge everyone to read this book, to act on its message, and to pass on its teachings." Now Cramer offers a groundbreaking book for an even more urgent time. Our lives depend on the sea. As gifted science writer Deborah Cramer makes clear in this extraordinary volume, the ocean has been earth's lifeline for more than three and a half billion years. Life began in the scalding inferno of deep-sea hot springs. The first cell, the first plant, and the first animal were all born in the sea. Climate changes wrought by the sea created evolutionary pathways for mammals and gave rise to our human ancestors some 200,000 years ago. The one, interconnected sea still sustains us. Invisible plants in the ocean's sunlit surface give us air to breathe. Rushing currents supply water to the atmosphere's protective greenhouse and rain to dry land. But as Cramer reveals in this sweeping look at earth's biography, the vital partnership between earth and the life it nourishes has recently been disrupted. Today, a single terrestrial species, man, has begun to alter the health of the sea itself. The mark of humans on the seas is now everywhere—from the fertile waters of continental shelves to the icy reaches of the poles, from the dazzling diversity of coral reefs to the porous edge of estuaries. Even the open ocean bears clear traces of our harmful ways. Scientists believe human impact may have already sparked a catastrophic event that could change the sea and the earth irrevocably: the sixth mass planetary extinction on a scale unseen since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But unlike the forces that caused previous extinctions, humankind can make a choice. We can choose the mark we wish to make and the legacy we leave behind. Written in the passionate tradition of Rachel Carson, Smithsonian Ocean is at once a book for our time and for the ages. Carson wrote: "One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself: What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" Cramer's powerful and inspiring message is equally a wake-up call: "We hold earth's life-giving waters—and our future—in our hands." Our lives depend on the sea.