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Records

Extent:
68.75 cu. ft. (68 record storage boxes) (1 document box) (1 half document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Drawings
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1920s-1970s
Descriptive Entry:
These records constitute the morgue files for the Science Service, and as such contain past articles, press releases and other materials produced by the Science Service. In addition are supplemental photographs, news clippings, scientific papers and articles, obituaries and related topical information.

Files are categorized according to Library of Congress headings. These alphabetic category indicators often appear before folder headings. Researchers should note that not all subject files are grouped together and that folders within subject areas may not be in strict subject or alphabetic order. Some information may be found under a specific folder heading, and other related information may be found in folders with broader subject or alphabetic headings.
Historical Note:
Science Service was established in 1920 through the efforts of E. W. Scripps in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and the National Research Council (NRC). In 1919 Scripps had established the American Society for the Dissemination of Science. Unknown to Scripps, the three major scientific organizations were trying to agree on a format and establish a popular science journal. In 1920 Scripps met with representatives of the AAAS, NAS, and NRC in an attempt to pool resources. Out of that meeting came Science Service, a news service designed to popularize science and to disseminate scientific knowledge.

Edwin E. Slosson (1865 1929), chemist, journalist, and editor of the Independent, was appointed first Editor of Science Service in 1921, a post he held until his death.

Watson Davis (1896 1967) was appointed Managing Editor of Science Service in 1921, and became Editor of the Science News Letter in 1922. After Slosson's death, Davis assumed the duties of Director, 1929-1966.
Topic:
Nuclear energy  Search this
Medicine  Search this
Physics  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Genre/Form:
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Drawings
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 90-105, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 90-105
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa90-105

Guide to medical and science news media

Title:
Medical and science news media
Author:
Larriston Communications (Firm : U.S.)  Search this
Physical description:
v. ; 26 cm
Type:
Periodicals
Place:
United States
Date:
1987
C1987-
Topic:
Journalism, Medical--Directories  Search this
Journalism, Scientific--Directories  Search this
Call number:
PN4888.M43G84X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_406530

The Civil engineer and architect's journal

Title:
Civil engineer and architect's journal, scientific and railway gazette 1839-1850
Civil engineer and architect's journal, incorporated with the Architect 1851-1856
Author:
Laxton, William 1802-1854  Search this
Physical description:
v. : ill. ; 29 cm
Type:
Periodicals
Date:
1839
1850
1837-
Topic:
Architecture  Search this
Civil engineering  Search this
Science  Search this
Call number:
TA1 .C455
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_471929

Records

Extent:
33 cu. ft. (33 record storage boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Books
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1920s-1970s
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records that constitute the morgue files for the Science Service, and as such contain past articles, press releases and other materials pertaining to medical, psychological, and sociological issues. In addition are supplemental correspondence, photographs, news clippings, scientific papers and articles, obituaries and related topical information.

Files are categorized according to Library of Congress headings. These alphabetic category indicators often appear before folder headings. Researchers should note that not all subject files are grouped together and that folders within subject areas may not be in strict subject or alphabetic order. Some information may be found under a specific folder heading, and other related information may be found in folders with broader subject or alphabetic headings.

Codes:

B = Philosophy/Religion

BD = Metaphysics

BF = Psychology

BL = Religions/Mythology

QR = Bacteriology

RB = Pathology

RC = Practice of Medicine

RE = Ophthalmology

RK = Dentistry
Topic:
Medicine  Search this
Psychology  Search this
Sociology  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Philosophy  Search this
Religion  Search this
Metaphysics  Search this
Mythology  Search this
Bacteriology  Search this
Pathology  Search this
Ophthalmology  Search this
Dentistry  Search this
Genre/Form:
Books
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 90-068, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 90-068
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa90-068

Records

Extent:
1 cu. ft. (1 record storage box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
circa 1926-1967
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of information files on paleontology and paleobiology. Materials include photographs, clippings and articles.
Topic:
Paleontology  Search this
Paleobiology  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 01-243, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 01-243
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa01-243

Watson Davis Papers

Creator::
Davis, Watson, 1896-1967  Search this
Extent:
3.01 cu. ft. (3 record storage boxes) (1 oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Brochures
Newsletters
Black-and-white photographs
Color photographs
Black-and-white negatives
Nitrate materials
Date:
1921-1972
Descriptive Entry:
Watson Davis was Editor and later Director of Science Service. These papers consist of correspondence, transcripts of addresses by Davis, notes, miscellaneous press releases and publications, photographs, and other materials relating to Davis' personal life and career at Science Service.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Clippings
Brochures
Newsletters
Black-and-white photographs
Color photographs
Black-and-white negatives
Nitrate materials
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 13-197, Watson Davis Papers
Identifier:
Accession 13-197
See more items in:
Watson Davis Papers
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa13-197

Records

Creator::
Science Service  Search this
Extent:
19 cu. ft. (38 document boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Compact discs
Digital images
Electronic records
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
circa 1920s-1970s
Descriptive Entry:
Science Service was established in 1920 through the efforts of the E. W. Scripps Company in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and the National Research Council (NRC). In 1919 Scripps had established the American Society for the Dissemination of Science. Unknown to Scripps, the three major scientific organizations were trying to agree on a format and establish a popular science journal. In 1920 Scripps met with representatives of the AAAS, NAS, and NRC in an attempt to pool resources. Out of that meeting came Science Service, a news service designed to popularize science and to disseminate scientific knowledge.

This accession consists of Science Service files that were given to and maintained by the Division of Electricity and Modern Physics (E&MP), National Museum of American History (NMAH), which later became part of the Division of Information Technology and Society and then Division of Work and Industry after that. The files in this collection relate specifically to the subject of electricity. Also covered and related to the subject area of electricity are automobiles, batteries, camera, communications, electric circuits, electric generators, lighting, electric machinery, electric power plants, electric power transmission, electrical engineering, electromagnets, electron microscope, fuel cells, integrated circuits, lasers, phonographs, radio, radio transmission, telephones, and television. Materials include correspondence and memoranda, photographs, news releases, and clippings. Some subjects are listed but the envelopes are missing. A select number of images were digitized and appeared on a Science Service website created and maintained by Nance L. Briscoe, Collections Manager, and later by Harold D. Wallace, Curator, Division of Work and Industry, NMAH. The site has been taken down by NMAH but can still be accessed through Accession 14-071: National Museum of American History, Website Records, 2008-2013, Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Electricity  Search this
Electricity -- History  Search this
Electric power production  Search this
Electric power systems  Search this
Electric power transmission  Search this
Electric machines  Search this
Automobiles  Search this
Electric batteries  Search this
Cameras  Search this
Communication -- United States  Search this
Electric circuits  Search this
Electric generators  Search this
Electric lighting  Search this
Electric machinery  Search this
Electrical engineering  Search this
Electronics  Search this
Electromagnets  Search this
Electron microscopes  Search this
Fuel cells  Search this
Integrated circuits  Search this
Lasers  Search this
Phonograph  Search this
Radio  Search this
Radio -- Transmitters and transmission  Search this
Telephone  Search this
Television  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Compact discs
Digital images
Electronic records
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 18-094, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 18-094
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa18-094

Records

Creator::
Science Service  Search this
Extent:
4 cu. ft. (4 record storage boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white negatives
Black-and-white photographs
Nitrate materials
Place:
United States -- History
Date:
1907-1970
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of Science Service subject files pertaining primarily to agriculture, farming, plants, animals, forest and forestry, fishes, mining, chemical technology, manufacturing, the National Park Service, and food. The subject files are arranged according to the Library of Congress classification system.

E - America

HV - Poverty

JV - Emigration and immigration

NC - Posters

QC - Physics

RA - Environmental Health

S - Agriculture (General)

SB - Plant Culture

SD - Forestry

SF - Animal culture

SH - Aquaculture, Fisheries, Angling

SK - Hunting Sports

TA - Civil engineering (General)

TJ - Mechanical engineering and machinery

TN - Mining engineering

TP - Chemical technology

TS - Manufactures

TX - Home economics

VM - Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering

Some of the images were taken by Science Service staff, while others came from manufacturers and governmental agencies such as the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Materials include correspondence and memoranda, photographs and negatives, news releases, and clippings.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Chemistry, Technical  Search this
Emigration and immigration  Search this
Poverty  Search this
Posters  Search this
Physics  Search this
Environmental health  Search this
Agriculture  Search this
Plants  Search this
Forests and forestry  Search this
Animal culture  Search this
Fishes  Search this
Hunting  Search this
Civil engineering  Search this
Machinery  Search this
Mechanical engineering  Search this
Mining engineering  Search this
Home economics  Search this
Naval architecture  Search this
Food  Search this
Genre/Form:
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white negatives
Black-and-white photographs
Nitrate materials
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 18-137, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 18-137
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa18-137

Records

Extent:
0.5 cu. ft. (1 document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Clippings
Manuscripts
Date:
1961-1975
Descriptive Entry:
These records document research, advances, and events concerning contraceptive pills. Materials include newspaper clippings, journal articles, press releases, memoranda, and published and unpublished reports.
Topic:
Oral contraceptives  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Genre/Form:
Clippings
Manuscripts
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 01-122, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 01-122
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa01-122

Records

Extent:
1 cu. ft. (1 record storage box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1905-1973
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of photographs, captions, and press releases related to engineering and engineering research. The files were originally compiled by and for the journalists who worked for the organization Science Service (see Record Unit 7091) from the 1920s through the 1960s. These informational "morgue" files were organized in the Science Service library according to Library of Congress classification categories and contained a mix of editorial correspondence, press releases, and photographs. Some photographs were taken by members of the Science Service staff (e.g., "F. D." indicates that a photograph was made by Fremont Davis); most were supplied by companies, universities, and government agencies. Other Science Service "morgue" files are in Record Unit 7091, Accessions 01-122, 01-243, 90-068, 90-105, and 93-019 and in curatorial collections in Smithsonian Institution museums.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Engineering  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 06-135, Records
Identifier:
Accession 06-135
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa06-135

Records

Extent:
1.5 cu. ft. (1 record storage box) (1 document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Newsletters
Pamphlets
Date:
1924-1954
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records documenting the daily activities of Science Service and covers the following topics: nurses and nursing, foot and mouth disease, the New York World's Fair, inventions, patents, and industrial research. Science Service staff represented in the collection include Jane Stafford and Watson Davis. Materials include correspondence, pamphlets, brochures, news releases, articles, and clippings.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Nurses  Search this
Nursing  Search this
Foot-and-mouth disease  Search this
Inventions  Search this
Patents  Search this
Research, Industrial  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Genre/Form:
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Newsletters
Pamphlets
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 15-280, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 15-280
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa15-280

Records

Extent:
0.25 cu. ft. (1 half document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
circa 1960-1965
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of the records of Watson Davis, former Director of Science Service. The records primarily consist of correspondence documenting the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Scopes Trial, along with photographs and newspaper clippings.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Genre/Form:
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 97-020, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 97-020
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa97-020

Records

Extent:
0.75 cu. ft. (1 document box) (1 half document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1954-1968
Descriptive Entry:
These records constitute part of the morgue files for the Science Service, and as such contain past articles, press releases and other materials pertaining to computers. Files are categorized according to Library of Congress headings.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Computers  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Genre/Form:
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 93-019, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 93-019
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa93-019

Records

Extent:
3 cu. ft. (3 record storage boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Brochures
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1921-1974
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of photographs, captions, and press releases related to modern physics, with emphasis on atomic physics and accelerators. These files were originally part of the research files compiled by and for journalists who worked at Science Service from the 1920s through the 1960s.

The informational "morgue" files were organized according to the Library of Congress classification scheme. Most folders contain a mix of editorial correspondence, press releases, newspaper clippings, brochures, and photographs. Folders on physics facilities built in the 1950s and 1960s tend to contain primarily news releases, clippings, and copies of Science Service stories. Many folders assembled during the 1930s contain issues of the Daily Mail Report which are not preserved in Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7091, Series 8.

Some of the photographs in these files were taken by members of the Science Service staff, especially Fremont Davis; most were supplied by companies, universities, and government agencies. If a photograph was used by Science Service, it was given an index number and a tracking sheet. Other related Science Service news files are in Record Unit 7091, Accessions 01-122, 01-243, 90-068, 90-105, and 93-019 and in curatorial collections in Smithsonian Institution museums.
Topic:
Physics  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Nuclear physics  Search this
Nuclear energy  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Clippings
Brochures
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 06-134, Records
Identifier:
Accession 06-134
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa06-134

Watson Davis Papers

Extent:
1 cu. ft. (1 record storage box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Sound recordings
Date:
undated
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of speeches and articles written by and about Watson Davis, photographs, and an audio recording of Davis' memorial service.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Speeches, addresses, etc.  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Sound recordings
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession T89059, Watson Davis Papers
Identifier:
Accession T89059
See more items in:
Watson Davis Papers
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fat89059

Records

Topic:
Adventures in science (Radio program)
Extent:
268.55 cu. ft. (79 record storage boxes) (372 document boxes) (2 12x17 boxes) (3 3x5 boxes) (3 5x8 boxes) (2 tall document boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Black-and-white photographs
Black-and-white negatives
Nitrate materials
Clippings
Sound recordings
Manuscripts
Brochures
Audiotapes
Phonograph records
Date:
1902-1965
Introduction:
The bulk of this collection was processed by Jane Livermore, a devoted and tireless volunteer in the Smithsonian Institution Archives between 1995 and 2004. Livermore is a former Science Service employee. She worked in the organization's library, oversaw the educational project "THINGS of Science," and served as Assistant to the Director. The Archives wishes to thank Ms. Livermore for her excellent work on this collection.

Many others have assisted on this project. SIA also thanks Helen Shade, Program Assistant in the Archives Division, who helped create folder listings for many of the later series in this record unit. SIA is especially indebted to historian Marcel C. LaFollette, who has conducted extensive research in this collection, written a historical summary for this guide, and whose findings in these records have generated excitement both within the Archives and among professional colleagues. SIA could not have created this finding aid without Dr. LaFollette's contributions, annotations, and insights.
Descriptive Entry:
Record Unit 7091 contains: correspondence and telegrams; drafts and final versions of articles, books, and radio scripts; staff notes and interoffice correspondence; published material such as pamphlets and news clippings; photographs and drawings; advertisements and trade literature; and other ephemera related to science news coverage and publishing.

This record unit is one of the largest single collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA). There are several related collections in SIA (see Accessions 01-122, 01-243, 04-042, 90-068, 90-105, 93-019, and 97-020 (see also the National Air and Space Museum; the National Museum of American History, including the Archives Center and collections in agriculture and mining, chemistry, costume, engineering, electricity, medical sciences, military history, modern physics, and photographic history; the National Museum of Natural History; and the National Portrait Gallery).

The arrangement of RU 7091 reflects the eclectic nature of an active news organization that was reactive to current events and discoveries, in touch with a worldwide network of researchers, and concerned about accuracy. In 1960, the organization's educational director described their records in this way: "... Science Service has been distributing science news for 40 years. During that time we have been in touch with practically all the major scientists and the developments which were taking place. Since all of our material has to have full authentification, we have built up a mass of files" (Letter from Frederick A. Indorf to Joseph C. Shipman, October 24, 1960, Box 350, Folder 13). This "mass of files" also included two extensive "morgues" that contained back-up material, information, and photographs that could be used in future stories. The informational "morgue" files were organized according to the Library of Congress classification scheme. A few of these files are in RU 7091 (see Series 7); more extensive collections are located in SIA Accessions 01-122, 01-243, 90-068, 90-105, and 93-019 and in curatorial collections in Smithsonian Institution museums. A major portion of the biographical "morgue," containing photographs and information about scientists, engineers, and other public figures, is in SIA Accession 90-105.

Editorial correspondence with news sources was usually filed in the general correspondence files of Series 1 - 5. Some was also filed with the resulting story for the Daily Mail Report (see Series 8) or with other back-up in a morgue file. Correspondence with scientists and engineers who appeared on the Science Service radio programs may also be found in the radio program files (see Series 10). Audiotapes of some broadcasts are in Series 20, SIA Accession 04-042, and in the NMAH Archives Center collection (Call # ACNNMAH0223).

Most folders in RU 7091 retain the original folder's title. This finding aid uses edited descriptions and additional notes to assist researchers in navigating through the record unit. Most correspondence was filed by the date and the last name of correspondent, but documents were sometimes filed alphabetically according to a topic or by the name of an individual's affiliation.

The topics covered in RU 7091 include all fields of science and engineering, theoretical physics to bridge construction techniques, wildlife conservation to plastics and paints. There is considerable attention to social and economic issues and to military research and censorship during World War II. The staff visited museums, observatories, industrial test facilities, and military installations; they reported on most of the major scientific events of the time, including the Scopes trial. During the 1930s and 1940s, Science Service purchased news and photographs from official U.S.S.R. news offices and also supported efforts to interact with Soviet scientists. There were attempts to establish branch operations in England and France and to encourage science popularization and education in Mexico.

Correspondents include trustees, news sources, publishers, writers, and business clients. Most inquiries from readers or listeners were answered and filed with regular editorial correspondence. "Taffy" is the term Science Service used for complimentary correspondence; it is often filed separately. Series 5 also contains manuscripts and letters from scientists and non-scientists who were convinced they had discovered, proved, or understood a new scientific principle or insight - or else could save humanity from foreseeable destruction.

Frequent correspondents among the trustees included: C. G. Abbot, Edward U. Condon, Rene J. Dubos, Frank R. Ford, George Ellery Hale, Ross G. Harrison, Harrison E. Howe, W. H. Howell, Vernon Kellogg, Karl Lark-Horovitz, D. T. MacDougal, Kirtley F. Mather, John C. Merriam, Robert A. Millikan, Raymond Pearl, Marlen E. Pew, Michael I. Pupin, I. I. Rabi, Charles Edward Scripps, Robert P. Scripps, Paul B. Sears, Thomas L. Sidlo, Harry L. Smithton, Mark Sullivan, Warren S. Thompson, Henry B. Ward, Alexander Wetmore, David White, William Allen White, and Robert M. Yerkes.

Other notable writers, scientists, and public figures include: William Beebe, Hans A. Bethe, Charles Bittinger, Howard W. Blakeslee, Edwin G. Boring, Bart J. Bok, Gregory and Marjorie Breit, P. W. Bridgman, Wilfred Swancourt Bronson, Rachel Carson, George Washington Carver, Morris L. Cooke, Clarence Darrow, Frances Densmore, Thomas A. Edison, Enrico Fermi, Henry Field, George Gamow, Eugene Garfield, Robert H. Goddard, Peter C. Goldmark, Hamilton Holt, J. Edgar Hoover, Julian S. Huxley, Louis M. Lyons, Margaret Mead, Merrill Moore, Edward R. Murrow, H. H. Nininger, Henry Fairfield Osborn, Gifford Pinchot, James A. Reyniers, J. B. Rhine, Walter Orr Roberts, M. Lincoln Schuster, John T. Scopes, Glenn T. Seaborg, Gilbert Seldes, Elizabeth Sidney Semmens, Upton Sinclair, Otto Struve, Elihu Thomson, Harold C. Urey, Mark Van Doren, Selman A. Waksman, Henry A. Wallace, Warren Weaver, H. G. Wells, and Gaylord Wilshire.

RU 7091 contains extensive records of the transactions with temporary correspondents and photographers, notes on the article titles and amounts paid, as well as correspondence discussing particular scientific events and, during the 1930s and 1940s, the situation in Europe. Among the active European correspondents were Maxim Bing in Switzerland, Victor Cofman in England, and Theodor G. Ahrens, Hans F. Kutschbach, and Gabrielle Rabel in Germany.

Researchers interested in the history of American publishing, journalism, advertising, and public relations will find extensive correspondence with professionals in those fields. Newspaper Enterprise Association, or "NEA Service," was a news syndicate established by the Scripps organization in 1909, to which Science Service sold articles and feature series. They also marketed articles and photographs to publications like Life and Reader's Digest. There is considerable correspondence with the editors about topic selection and why particular stories were rejected.

Science Service staff used special abbreviations in their interoffice correspondence. Starting in the 1930s, small name and date stamps were also used to record or acknowledge all correspondence and notes. Abbreviations were written in all capital letters as well as in initial cap form (e.g., Watson Davis was "WD" as well as Wd"). Here is a partial list of abbreviations that appear frequently in RU 7091:

ACM = A. C. Monahan

An = Anne Shiveley, secretary to Watson Davis

Ba = Howard Bandy, treasurer

Be = Miriam Bender, office staff

DGL = Donald G. Loomis, assistant treasurer

Do = Dorothy Reynolds, secretary to Watson Davis

Ed = Emily C. Davis (sometimes written as "ECD")

En = Leonard Engel

Ew = Ann Ewing

Fa = Bob Farr

FD = Fremont Davis

Fl = Margaret Fleming

Fr = Violet Frye

Gi = Minna Gill, librarian

Hd = Helen Miles Davis

Hj = Hallie Jenkins, sales manager

Ho = Janet Howard

HW = Howard Wheeler, business manager

JWY = J. W. Young

Js = James Stokley

Kl = Fred Kline, list room

Kr = Joseph Kraus, science youth programs

Md = Marjorie MacDill (Breit); in 1928, Jane Stafford became the medical editor and used these initials from 1928-1936

Mg = Mary McGrath, secretary to Watson Davis

Ml = Bernice Maldondo

Mm = Martha G. Morrow

Mn = Minna Hewes

Mo = Morton Mott-Smith

Ot = Frances Ottemiller

Pd = Phillippa Duckworth, secretary to E. E. Slosson

Ps = Page Secrest

Pt = Robert Potter

Ri = William E. Ritter

RLI = Ronald L. Ives, photograph editor

RNF = Robert N. Farr

Ro = Ron Ross

Sl = E. E. Slosson

St = Jane Stafford, after 1936

Th = Frank Thone

Vn = Marjorie Van de Water

Wd = Watson Davis

We = Margaret Weil

Wi = Austin Winant

Interoffice correspondence in the 1920s also used these abbreviations: Bk = bookkeeper; Cr = circulation; Fl = File; Lb = library or library files; Mr = mailroom; Rt = retail files; Sa = sales department; Tp = typing department; Wb = wastebasket.
Historical Note:
Science Service, a not-for-profit institution founded to increase and improve the public dissemination of scientific and technical information, began its work in 1921. Although initially intended as a news service, Science Service produced an extensive array of news features, radio programs, motion pictures, phonograph records, and demonstration kits and it also engaged in various educational, translation, and research activities. It later became Science Service, Inc., an organization that publishes Science News and promotes science education. On January 10, 2008 Science Service was renamed Society for Science & the Public (SSP).

Record Unit 7091 contains correspondence and other material related to Science Service, from just before its establishment through 1963, including the editorial correspondence of the first two directors and senior staff.

The inspiration for such an organization developed during conversations between newspaper publisher E.W. Scripps (1854-1926) and zoologist William E. Ritter (1856-1944), who headed the Scripps-funded oceanographic institute in California. "Document A - The American Society for the Dissemination of Science," dictated by E. W. Scripps on March 5, 1919 (see Box 1, Folder 1), declared that the "first aim of this [proposed] institution should be just the reverse of what is called propaganda." Scripps believed that it should not support partisan causes, including those of any particular scientific group or discipline, but should instead develop ways to "present facts in readable and interesting form..." (p. 3). Scripps and Ritter held meetings throughout the United States to solicit ideas and support from scientists. By 1920, they had concluded that the best way to improve the popularization of science would be to create an independent, non-commercial news service with close ties to, but not operated by, the scientific community. The scientists would lend credibility to the organization's work, help to ensure accuracy, and project an image of authority.

Scripps supplied an initial donation of $30,000 per year from 1921 until his death in 1926. His will placed $500,000 in trust for Science Service and provided a continuing endowment until the trust was dissolved in 1956.

Science Service did not provide all its services for free. Scripps believed that the news service would be more valued by its clients - and would better reflect their needs and professional standards - if it charged a fair price for its products. As a result, the history of the organization is one of continual innovation, as the staff developed and marketed new syndicated features, wrote articles and books for other publishers on commission, and re-wrote each basic news story for multiple markets.

From the beginning, Science Service was guided by a 15-member board of trustees composed of two groups: prominent scientists nominated by the National Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Smithsonian Institution, and newspaper editors or executives nominated by the Scripps-Howard organization or the Scripps family trust. William E. Ritter served as the first president of the board of trustees. Such scientists as J. McKeen Cattell, Edwin G. Conklin, Harlow Shapley, and Leonard Carmichael (the seventh Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution) succeeded him over the next four decades.

During the summer of 1920, Ritter began negotiations with Edwin E. Slosson (1865-1929), a well-known chemist and popularizer. Slosson had taught at the University of Wyoming for thirteen years until moving to New York to become the literary editor of The Independent. He began work as the head of Science Service in January 1921.

The first public announcement of the creation of Science Service appeared in Science, April 8, 1921, pp. 321-323. The first meeting of the trustees was held on May 20, 1921; the Science Service trust was set up July 22, 1921; and the not-for-profit organization was incorporated in the state of Delaware on November 1, 1921.

In 1921, Howard Wheeler, former editor of the San Francisco Daily News, was hired as the business manager. Watson Davis (1896-1967), a civil engineer who had been working at the National Bureau of Standards and writing science features for a Washington, D.C., newspaper, was hired as principal writer. In 1923, Wheeler was fired; Slosson (whose title had been "Editor") was named Director; and Davis was promoted to managing editor.

Throughout the 1920s, Davis built the news service through the "Daily Science News Bulletin," which later became the syndicated "Daily Mail Report" sold to newspapers around the country. He developed a local radio program and script service ("Science News of the Week"), coordinated a project to produce phonograph records, and assembled a skilled staff to handle reporting, circulation, production, sales, advertising, and accounting. Davis also edited the organization's most successful product, Science News Letter (titled Science News Bulletin, April 2, 1921-March 1922, and Science News-Letter, March 1922-October 1930).

After Slosson's death on October 15, 1929, the trustees favored replacing him with another scientist. Davis lobbied for the position but remained as managing editor until he was finally appointed director in 1933. He guided the organization until his retirement in 1966.

From 1921-1924, the editorial offices were located in offices rented by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington. When the NAS moved to its own building at 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., in April 1924, Science Service acquired space there. As World War II began, space became precious at the NAS headquarters. In spring 1941, Science Service purchased its own building at 1719 N Street, N.W., to house its expanding operations and staff.

Between 1921-1963, Davis and senior writers such as Frank Thone, James Stokley, Jane Stafford, and Marjorie Van de Water interviewed hundreds of scientists and engineers, and wrote thousands of articles, often maintaining a lively correspondence with their sources. Thone, a botanist with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, worked for the organization from 1924 until his death in 1949, covering both the Scopes trial and the atomic tests at Bikini Atoll; astronomer Stokley joined the group in 1925 and continued to write the "Star Map" feature even after he went to work for the Franklin Institute and for General Electric. Stafford, one of the founding members of the National Association of Science Writers, covered medicine and biology for Science Service from 1928 to 1956. Van de Water covered psychology and related topics from 1929 through the 1960s. Other members of the Davis family also assisted in the operations, including Watson's wife, the chemist Helen Miles Davis (1896-1957), who edited Chemistry from 1944, when it was acquired by Science Service, until shortly before her death. Watson's brother Fremont Davis served as the organization's photographer.

Science Service also depended on an extensive network of part-time correspondents, or "stringers," in the United States, Europe, and Asia, to provide information and photographs. Most of these contributors were graduate students, young professors, or schoolteachers. By the mid-1930s, Science Service was dispensing small fees (under $10.00) for over 500 short news items and illustrations annually. The staff was also answering hundreds of letters each year from readers of all age who were curious about science in general or had specific questions about a subject mentioned in the news. The correspondence with these people afford a rich resource for social and cultural historians.

In addition to sending its writers to participate in expeditions, Science Service established projects to collect scientific data, such as seismological information and ursigrams, and to compile weekly astronomical and meteorological charts. They also initiated a "Scientific Minute Men" project in which a network of archeologists and other scientists were authorized to wire Science Service at no charge.

The activities of the staff and organization were wide-ranging and reflect the breadth of science and scientific concerns during the twentieth century. Slosson and Davis were involved extensively with groups like the American Association for the Advancement of Science, British Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, and American Eugenics Society, and the staff writers covered dozens of scientific meetings every year, sometimes serving as officers of those associations. Davis was a major participant in the National Inventors Council and served on dozens of advisory committees for scientific laboratories and universities, and national and international government agencies. With Alexander Gode, Davis worked to promote acceptance of Interlingua, an international scientific language. One of the organization's most lasting contributions was to science education, through its sponsorship of Science Clubs of America, National Science Fairs, the Science Talent Search, and informal teaching units called "THINGS of Science." Science Service also sponsored early innovation in microphotography, established a Documentation Division and a Bibliofilm Service, and helped to found the American Documentation Institute.

For the first four decades of its existence, however, the central mission remained science journalism. As Davis wrote in 1960, Science Service strived from the beginning to convince both publishers and scientists that "science is news, good news, news that can compete, from a circulation standpoint, with crime, politics, human comedy and pathos, and the conventional array of news and features" and that science "could be written popularly so as to be accurate in fact and implication and yet be good reading in newspaper columns" (Watson Davis, "The Rise of Science Understanding," 1960, Box 368, Folder 2). These records will help historians to understand better the processes of negotiation, adjustment, and innovation which created that news. - Marcel C. LaFollette
Topic:
Science -- History  Search this
Interlingua (International Auxiliary Language Association)  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Genre/Form:
Black-and-white photographs
Black-and-white negatives
Nitrate materials
Clippings
Sound recordings
Manuscripts
Brochures
Audiotapes
Phonograph records
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7091, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Record Unit 7091
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-faru7091

Records

Extent:
1 cu. ft. (1 record storage box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1913-1968
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of Science Service biographical files pertaining to individuals in the field of medical science. Materials include correspondence and memoranda; lecture papers; photographs; committee information; news releases; articles; and clippings.
Topic:
Medical scientists  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Medical sciences  Search this
Medicine -- History  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 13-035, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 13-035
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa13-035

Records

Extent:
0.25 cu. ft. (1 half document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1963-1967
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of Science Service subject files pertaining to air pollution control. Materials include articles, news releases, Air Pollution Control Association annual meeting information, clippings, correspondence, and photographs.
Topic:
Air -- Pollution  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 15-261, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 15-261
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa15-261

Records

Extent:
11 cu. ft. (11 record storage boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Black-and-white negatives
Date:
1927-1970
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of Science Service subject files pertaining to medical science, chemistry, chemical technology, and physics. Materials include correspondence and memoranda; news releases; clippings, photographs and negatives; articles, reports, research papers, and related topical information.
Topic:
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Medical sciences  Search this
Chemistry  Search this
Chemistry, Technical  Search this
Physics  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Clippings
Black-and-white photographs
Black-and-white negatives
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 13-034, Science Service, Records
Identifier:
Accession 13-034
See more items in:
Records
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa13-034

Audiotape

Topic:
Adventures in science (Radio program)
Extent:
0.25 cu. ft. (1 half document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Audiotapes
Date:
1957
Descriptive Entry:
This accession includes an audiotape recording of Dr. Margaret Mead, Anthropologist, discussing "Science Education for our Children" as part of the program "Adventures in Science."
Topic:
Science -- Study and teaching  Search this
Journalism, Scientific  Search this
Science -- History  Search this
Anthropology  Search this
Genre/Form:
Audiotapes
Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 04-042, Science Service, Audiotape
Identifier:
Accession 04-042
See more items in:
Audiotape
Archival Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-sia-fa04-042

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