Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Professor Hannah Marcus, faculty director of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, who was awarded a Harvard College Professorship alongside five senior faculty members.

The distinction recognizes tenured faculty for their distinguished contributions to undergraduate teaching. Read more about Hannah’s story, research, and teaching.

Five senior faculty members have been awarded Harvard College professorships for excellence in undergraduate teaching and for helping students “develop their intellectual passions.” Hopi Hoekstra, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, announced the recipients at the May 5 Mee...

04/27/2026

Technology was pivotal in the American Revolution and in the nascent country’s sense of identity, whether in the practical surveying and navigation instruction given to Harvard College students or the national pride in Benjamin Franklin’s experiments with electricity.

Please join the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, the History of Science Department, and Joyce Chaplin, James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History, Harvard, tomorrow, April 28, for a free panel discussion and tour to celebrate the opening of the exhibit Revolutionary Technology. See more details about panel members and evening activities:
https://tinyurl.com/CHSIMakingANation

Presented in partnership with Revolution250 and sponsored by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation.

04/10/2026

Keep your eyes on the sky to see Venus, Jupiter, the Lyrids meteor showers, and more this Spring.

Keep your eyes peeled to the night sky. A meteor shower, a comet, and shining Venus offer out-of-this-world views.

03/11/2026

To mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Joyce Chaplin, James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History, recently presented a fascinating talk on the legacy of Benjamin Franklin. Known as a leading figure of the American Revolution, a diplomat, a printer and publisher, and an inventor, Franklin proves to be a complex and compelling character. https://tinyurl.com/GazetteChaplin

Chaplin observes, “I do think the United States of America would have come into existence even if Benjamin Franklin never existed, but I think most Americans are today unaware of the heavy lifting, starting in 1776, that Franklin’s reputation, as a famous man of science, performed for the United States. Science helped to make a powerful case for the nation at the dawn of its birth.” Read the full article in the 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘎𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦: https://tinyurl.com/GazetteChaplin

𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘕𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳/𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳

Reputation in science was key to his political power, historian says. On the other hand, “Frankenstein.”

02/25/2026

Ask anyone why Benjamin Franklin is famous, and they will likely mention his role in the American Revolution. Yet Franklin’s celebrity began with his science. In a FREE hybrid lecture on March 5, Joyce E. Chaplin, James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History, Harvard, author of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘷𝘦: 𝘈𝘯 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025, Macmillan Publishers), traces Franklin’s scientific pursuits, showing the central role of science in Franklin’s life—and in the revolutionary era more broadly.

She will also discuss how Franklin’s reputation lived on in Mary Shelley’s 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯; or, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘶𝘴 (1818), a powerful meditation on the rewards and risks of scientific ambition. Free admission and parking. Advance registration: https://tinyurl.com/FranklinFrankensteinRev

Chaplin is also an Affiliated Faculty Member in the Harvard Department of the History of Science, an affiliate of the Department of Landscape Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, a Faculty Member of Harvard’s American Studies Program, and serves on the Faculty Steering Committee for the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. She is a trustee of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

02/24/2026

We will be closed on Tuesday, 2/24 due to the storm. Stay safe!

We will be closed again tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24th. Stay safe, and enjoy the snow!

02/06/2026

The Harvard University Gazette asked faculty to share their favorite portrayals of brilliance and breakthroughs in film and literature.

Hannah Marcus, Professor of the History of Science and
Faculty Director of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments is a Galileo scholar. Read the story to see why she selected this particular genius:

Pop culture portrayals tend to favor the lone mastermind. These faculty faves are more realistic.

01/25/2026

We will be closed tomorrow, MONDAY, January 26th due to the storm.

All four of our museums are closing early today at 3pm. We will also be closed tomorrow, MONDAY, January 26th.
Enjoy the snow!

01/14/2026

We are happy to share our new annual report, “𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝,” highlighting a record-breaking and transformative year for HMSC. https://tinyurl.com/HMSCAnnualReportCrossroads

We welcomed over 334,000 visitors from 50 states and 170 countries. We couldn’t have done it without the contributions and support of HMSC donors, members, and sponsors, who make everything we do possible and ensure that our exciting exhibitions, festivals, classes, and evening programs continue to spark imagination and foster a love of learning. We are grateful for donations in any amount. Each contribution supports our mission and helps HMSC offer welcoming spaces and dynamic programming for all.

Support our mission: https://tinyurl.com/HMSCGivingAR

12/24/2025

In part two of our Winter Solstice video series, Emma Mendoza Broder, Curatorial Postdoctoral Fellow at the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, talks about a unique Japanese equatorial sundial from the collection.