Papers, 1853-1955.

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Papers, 1853-1955.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122624321

Series I (ca. 60,000 items) is currently being processed (1996). Series II (size unknown) is currently being processed (1996). Series III (3.5 linear ft.) contains legal documents, reports, specifications on inventions and patents, blueprints, programs for scientific meetings and events, and materials relating to Thomson's industrial research and personal interests. Series IV (1.5 linear ft.) contains autograph and typescript drafts, notes, comments, and page proofs on the subjects of electrical systems, welding, astronomy, and optics, among others. Series V (1 linear ft.) contains school papers, autobiographical essays, poetry, short papers on ideas and inventions, and any works that were not identified as published. Series VI (1 linear ft.) contains manuscript and typescript drafts of speeches, lectures, papers, and addresses given by Thomson at meetings of various professional scientific organizations and societies. Series VII (2 linear ft.) contains the manuscript and typescript drafts and transcripts of works by Thomson's colleagues and others, including papers, reports, journal articles, speeches, and radio addresses. A large portion of the series is biographical, produced by Thomson's friends and colleagues after his death and originally stored in two boxes labeled "Biographical Material." The complete, original manuscript of David O. Woodbury's "Elihu Thomson, Beloved Scientist" (1944) is preserved in this series as well. There are several manuscript and typescript translations of historical works in the field of optics. Produced for Thomson's friend and fellow amateur telescope maker, George Wattson Hewitt, by Florence C. and Emil P. Albrecht, these translations date ca. 1901 and focus on the works of S. Czapski, J.J. Littow, and L. Schuppmann. Series VIII (2 linear ft.) contains Thomson's high school notebooks from classes taken as a student, some industrial research notebooks, genealogy notebooks, and trip journals. Series IX (1 linear ft.) contains pencil sketches of inventions and mechanical apparatus on individual sheets of assorted shapes, sizes, and types of papers. Several files of sketches by E.W. Rice, Jr., fellow inventor and business associate of Thomson, exist in a general chronological arrangement. Series X (2 linear ft.) contains Thomson's manuscript comments and notes on his patents. Thomson describes and evaluates each invention, often detailing the slight variations and improvements in newer versions. Series XI (1.5 linear ft.) contains black and white photographs in various sizes of Thomson, family members, professional associates, events, places, and Thomson's inventions and mechanical apparatus. Series XII (.5 linear ft.) contains certificates that recognize Thomson's membership or election to many professional scientific organizations. Also in this series are three patent certificates issued to Thomson by the U.S. Patent Office. Series XIII (.5 linear ft.) contains individual clippings arranged alphabetically by subject and scrapbooks of collected clippings. The clippings include obituaries (of Thomson and colleagues), wedding announcements for Thomson's second marriage, and biographical information on Thomson and his career. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and a small amount of memorabilia and photographs. Series XIV (.5 linear ft.) contains a variety of miscellaneous items collected by Thomson, his wife, and the original organizers of this collection at the APS. Several items in this series date from Thomson's youth, including his birth certificate (1853) and his Philadelphia Central High School commencement program (1870). Series XV (ca. 1937-1943) is comprised of two subseries. Subseries A contains correspondence generated during the APS Library's attempt to collect Thomson letters from his colleagues after his death. Subseries B holds inventories of manuscripts that were produced as the papers were donated.

18.5 linear ft.

American Philosophical Society Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6794140

American Philosophical Society Library

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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The Department of General Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) did not officially exist until 1882. Courses in general studies were offered as early as 1865, when the MIT Catalog offered a curriculum option called the Course in Science and Literature. At that time, all regular MIT students were required to take “general studies” classes from the Course in Science and Literature, in addition to English, history, and modern languages. In 1882 the Course in Scienc...

Stuart, George, 1843-1943.

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Stratton, Samuel Wesley 1861-1931

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Czapski, Siegfried, 1861-1907

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Pickering, William H. (William Henry), 1858-

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Epithet: Inspector of Mines, York and Lincoln district British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000342.0x0000d9 Pickering later became Director of JPL. From the description of Eratosthenes No. 4 and other articles, 1924 Feb. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory Library and Archives). WorldCat record id: 733097453 Pickering was Director of JPL. From the description of Recommendation to delay Ranger...

Bragg, William Henry, 1862-1942

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Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. B. A. as 3rd Wrangler 1884. Professor at Adelaide University 1886-1908. Cavendish Professor at Leeds, 1909-1915. Quain Professor of Physics at University of London 1915-1923. Received Nobel Prize 1915 (with his son William Lawrence Bragg F. R. S. 1921). F. R. S. 1907. Rumford Medal 1907. Copley Medal 1930. C. B. E. 1917. K. B. E. 1920. O. M. 1931. Hughes Medal Royal Society 1931. President Royal Society 1935. Director of Royal Institution of Great Britain ...

Snyder, Monroe Benjamin, 1848-1932.

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Ayrton, W. E. (William Edward), 1847-1908

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Pratt, Joseph Hyde, 1870-1942

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Mining engineer; mineralogist; geologist; and educator. From the description of Joseph Hyde Pratt papers, 1889-1942 (bulk 1915-1942) [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 24095753 Joseph Hyde Pratt (1870-1942), a native of Hartford, Conn., received his bachelor's degree from the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University in 1893. In 1892 and in subsequent summers he was employed by the North Carolina Geological Survey, with S. L. Penfield and under Joseph Austin...

Albrecht, Florence

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Jackson, Dugald C. (Dugald Caleb), 1865-1951

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General Electric Company

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Founded 1892. Corporate interests include: Broadcasting; Electric Components; Household Appliances; Lighting Equipment; Motors; Telecommunications; Electromedical Industry. From the description of Technical records. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 84865339 Founded 1892. From the description of General Electric Company in Camden, N.J., collection, 1878-1989. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70979711 Schenectady, NY. From the description of Electr...

Schuppmann, L.

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Langmuir, Irving, 1881-1957

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Research chemist and physicist, General Electric Co. from 1909. Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 1932. From the description of Pathological science [sound recording] : an address to General Electric's Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory Colloquium; 1953 December 18. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 83715356 Chemist. From the description of Papers of Irving Langmuir, 1871-1957. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79449037 Biographical Note ...

Miller, Dayton Clarence, 1866-1941

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Professor of physics at Case Institute of Technology, involved in theoretical physics and the development of complicated techniques for the quanitatitive measurement of physical phenomena, including the velocity of light in magnetic fields, the expansion of gases, the ether drift, interferometer applications, the photographic registration of sound waves and the quality of musical sounds; and a pioneer in the study of x-rays, radium, and wireless telegraphy. From the description of Pa...

Woodbury, David O. (David Oakes), 1896-1981

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Morgan, Charles, Sir, 1760-1846

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Martin, Thomas Commerford, 1856-1924

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Hale, George Ellery, 1868-1938

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George Ellery Hale was an astrophysicist. He was the organizer and director of the Mount Wilson Observatory of the Carnegie Institute of Washington, 1904-1923, and was honorary director until his death in 1938. His principal scientific researches were made in stellar spectroscopy. From the description of Papers, 1903-1935. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 82798019 From the description of Papers, 1882-1937. (American Philosophical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 122523501...

Coffin, Charles A., 1854-1888

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Bookkeeper at P.K.O. Company, Portland, Me., and ice dealer; died in 1888 as result of an accident. From the description of Charles A. Coffin diaries, 1878-1881. (Maine Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 173298784 ...

Kennelly, Arthur E. (Arthur Edwin), 1861-1939

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Kennelly received an honorary degree from Harvard in 1906 and taught electrical engineering at Harvard. The memoir on Kennelly was a joint project of Harvard and MIT from 1941 to 1942. From the description of Papers of Arthur Edwin Kennelly, 1911-1941 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76972802 ...

Crompton, Robert

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Jeffcott, H. H.

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Mallinckrodt, Edward, 1845-1928.

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Johnson, Alba B. (Alba Boardman), 1858-1935

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Oliver Evans (1755-1819) was perhaps the most talented of Philadelphia's early 19th century mechanicians. He produced two major innovations, the automated flour mill and the high-pressure, non-condensing steam engine, and experimented with or anticipated others, including four-cycle mechanical refrigeration, central heating, the steam wagon, the machine gun, and a perpetual baking oven. Evans was born in Newport, Del., on September 13, 1755. Little is known of his early ...

Fleming, J. A. (John Adam), 1877-1956

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Fleming was born in 1877; died in 1956. From the description of Origin and development of the American Geophysical Union, 1919-1952, 1954. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 83717847 ...

Pritchett, Henry S. (Henry Smith), 1857-1939

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Astronomer, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From the description of Henry S. Pritchett papers, 1876-1967 (bulk 1900-1939). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71061298 Biographical Note 1857, Apr. 16 Born, Fayette, Mo. 1875 A.B.,...

Jeans, James, 1877-1946

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Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. Smith's Prizeman, 1900. Fellow of Trinity, 1901. University lecturer in mathematics, 1904. Professor of Applied Mathematics, Princeton University, 1905-1909. F. R. S., 1906. Secretary Royal Society. Royal Medallist, 1919. Knighted, 1928. O. M., 1939. From the description of Papers and 11 miscellaneous items from other series, 1896-1945. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 84865346 ...

Brashear, John A. (John Alfred), 1840-1920

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Barker, George F. (George Frederick), 1835-1910

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Yale, (1858); Sc.D. (hon.), U. of Pennsylvania, (1898); professor of chemistry and physics, Penn, (1872-1900); distinguished author and editor of scientific journals. From the description of Papers, 1870-1890. (University of Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 122480059 ...

Dercum, Francis X. (Francis Xavier), 1856-1931

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Stockley, George, 1920-

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Todd, David P. (David Peck), 1855-1939

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American astronomer, professor at Amherst, author. From the description of Letter to S.S. McClure, 1893 May 5. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 55620962 Astronomer, teacher, writer, aeronautical enthusiast, inventor; B.A., Amherst, 1875; Ph. D. Washington and Jefferson College, 1888; professor of astronomy and director of the observatory at Amherst College, 1888-1917; leader of expeditions to observe solar eclipses to Japan (1887 and 1896), Western U.S. (1889), ...

De Forest, Lee, 1873-1961

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Lee De Forest was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on August 26, 1873. He was a graduate of the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University in 1896 and received a Ph.D. from Yale in 1899. He was an important contributor in the development of wireless telegraphy in the United States. He started multiple radio broadcasting companies and patented 300 inventions in his lifetime. In 1904, he was awarded the gold medal at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. He died on June 30, 1961. F...

Coolidge, William David, 1873-1975

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William David Coolidge is well known for his contributions to X-ray machines and his work with tungsten filaments. He was the director of the General Electric Research Laboratory (1932-1940). Born on Oct. 23, 1873 in Boston MA, he obtained BS in Electrical Engineering, from MIT in 1896 and a PhD in Physics from the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1899. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences....

International Electrical Congress.

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Littow, J. J.

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Edison, Thomas Alva, 1847-1931

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Thomas Alva Edison (born February 11, 1847, Milan, Ohio – died October 18, 1931, West Orange, New Jersey), American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrial...

Thomson, Silvanus P.

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Edison Electric Company

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American institute of electrical engineers

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Whitney, Willis Rodney, 1868-1958

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Steinmetz, Charles Proteus, 1865-1923

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Electrical engineer and inventor. From the description of Papers, 1922. (New York State Library). WorldCat record id: 50753002 Charles Proteus Steinmetz was a German-American mathematician and electrical engineer. He fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers. He made ground-breaking discoveries in the understanding of hysteresis that ena...

Cutter, G. W. (George Washington), 1801-1865

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Lovejoy, Jesse Robert, 1863-1945.

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Meadowcroft, Wm. H. (William Henry), 1853-

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Dunn, Gano, 1870-1953

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Keen, William W. (William Williams), 1837-1932

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Surgeon of Philadelphia. From the description of Letter, 1864, Jan. 27 : Philadelphia, to Dr. Brinton. (Duke University). WorldCat record id: 34847965 William Williams Keen (1837-1932) was a prominent neurological pathologist from Philadelphia, and the first brain surgeon in the United States. Keen gained national attention for his then-secret surgery performed on President Grover Cleveland in 1893. From the description of William Williams Keen's material related...

Shapley, Harlow, 1885-1972

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Astronomer (galaxies, photometry, spectroscopy) and administrator. Astronomer, Mount Wilson Observatory, 1914-1921; director, Harvard Observatory, 1921-1952; on the astronomy faculty at Harvard from 1952. From the description of Papers [microform], 1910-1923. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 80523781 Harlow Shapley (1885-1972) was an astronomer. Shapley served as director of the Harvard College Observatory and was a professor at Harvard University, eventually he became the Pai...

Albrecht, Emil P.,

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Mendenhall, Thomas Corwin

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Noted physicist, professor at Ohio State University (1873-78) and Imperial University of Japan (1878-81), member of the U.S. Signal Corps (1884-86), President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1894-1901), etc. From the description of T. C. Mendenhall letter to S. S. McClure [manuscript], 1893 Apr 13. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 318545603 Smith College President (sixth), 1958-1975. Born June 14, 1910. Yale University, B.A., 1932; Ph. D., 1938. Oxford Unive...

Spooner, Henry Joshua, 1839-1918.

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Barringer, Daniel Moreau, 1860-1929

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Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974

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Physicist, engineer, government official, and science administrator. From the description of Vannevar Bush papers, 1901-1974 (bulk 1932-1955). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70980014 Administrator, engineer. From the description of Reminiscences of Vannevar Bush : oral history, 1967. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122569580 Biographical Note ...

Mottelay, Paul Fleury, 1841-

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Riche, George W.

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Hewitt, George Watson, 1841-1916

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Thomson, Elihu, 1853-1937

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Electrician, inventor with 700 patents under his name; winner of many honors, prizes, and medals. From the description of Letter to S[amuel] S[ydney] McClure, 1894 February 3. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 55132441 Thomson joined the staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1894, served as Acting President of the Institute, 1920-1922, and was a member of the MIT Corporation for many years....

Greene, Wm. H. (William Houston), 1853-1918

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