https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/roles daily 0.75 2020-06-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591474030715-71327THCDHBQ9HQDD91B/Volta+at+Smithsonian.jpg Roles - Humphry Davy Davy was Britain’s most famous public lecturer on topics in chemistry and physics and served as mentor to electrical pioneer, Michael Faraday (also interpreted by Mr Howarth). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591472606614-RF3G8FKPROVSKKP17W3U/bell+jar.jpg Roles - Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley was not only a progressive political thinker but a pioneer in both Chemistry (He discovered oxygen.) and “Pneumaticks”, the study of air and pressure. His demonstrations with vacuum pumps and fountains show influence of invisible forces of the atmosphere on weather, physiology, and even human flight! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591473214189-UDOXL56M691J4HY0NFUQ/Untitled.png Roles - Albert Einstein The Natural Philosopher continues the trajectory of physics into the 20th century with a characterization of famed physicist, Albert Einstein. The professor insightfully speaks on his Theory of Relativity, space and time, the nature of light, black holes, atomic energy, and other topics in modern physics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591470834123-88E7GHV0RP67J1I06RM8/IMG_1691.JPG Roles - Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton, was considered by the likes of Jefferson to be the central figure of the Enlightenment. As Newton, the Natural Philosopher shares his deep insights into the Laws of Physics and how the motions of the planets and the fall of an apple combine to explain phenomena throughout the Universe. The famous but temperamental genius established the science of Opticks, invented telescopes, devised Calculus, and wrote the laws that allowed man to explore outer space. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591473413429-QHURYDQLWAH6VE2AXDNX/IMG-20140109-00043.jpg Roles - Count Rumford The Natural Philosopher also portrays other pioneers in physics and engineering including the surprising Benjamin Thompson, also known as Count Rumford. The Count was an American-born loyalist, soldier, spy, and scientific advisor to European royalty. His discoveries in Thermodynamics (the study of heat) improved everyday life for troops, the poor, cooks, and kings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591474958297-J61PKMRWD8IWPZKQLCD9/small+CMF+nat+copy.jpg Roles - Charles Peale This narrative is based on the rich history of Natural Science where “curiosities” from exotic lands became our modern museums, zoos, and botanical gardens. The museum founded by the artist and curator, Charles Willson Peale is the model for the Natural Philosopher’s large collection. It includes plants, fossils, minerals, specimens, and even relics of the famed Woolly Mammoth that so fascinated Thomas Jefferson (who debated with European naturalists about American flora and fauna and inspired the Expedition of Discovery by Lewis and Clark). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591475641614-R4XW2FL9B3HS26H2J2N9/jaws.jpg Roles - Joseph Banks Banks was a wealth British collector who served as science officer to Captain James Cook’s expedition to the South Pacific to observe the Transit of Venus and collect exotic specimens. Banks was inspired by famous naturalist Carl Linnæus, and in turn inspired the journey of Charles Darwin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591479839980-5LWJUMT92A4HTEWRMJS4/jup.jpeg Roles - Stars of Astronomy Dean Howarth uses a collection of astronomical instruments and telescopes to portray a broad array of luminaries from the field of astronomy: - Edmond Halley was a man of many interests but his fascination with astronomy led him to Isaac Newton and a comet that would bear his name - Sir William Herschel was a German-born royal astronomer to the British Crown. With his sister Caroline, he made many discoveries with his ground-breaking advance in telescopes. He discovered the planet Uranus in 1781. - David Rittenhouse was early America’s preeminent astronomer who befriended Franklin and Jefferson in Philadelphia. He made precision scientific instruments and observed the famed Transit of Venus. - Andrew Ellicott was America’s most accomplished surveyor/astronomer. He laid out important boundaries in the early United States, including the boundary markers that established the new District of Columbia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591476497815-VHFJD5YZKBGSXQ0461EV/USASciFest-Tycho+2.jpg Roles - Tycho Brahe The Natural Philosopher portrays a number of astronomers from the 1600’s to the 1800’s. Most notable is his portrayal of the flamboyant Danish stargazer with a gold nose, Tycho Brahe, whose work helped establish modern astronomy at a time before the use of telescopes. Brahe founded a lavish astronomical institute on the island of Hven where he conducted precise observations, entertained royalty, and lived like a renaissance celebrity. His work helped Johannes Kepler lay the foundations of astrophysics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591549693733-1BA7EZ5PVUIOPAVZDVAX/170804_275%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg Roles - The Galvanist The Galvanists believed in Luigi Galvani’s theory of “animal electricity” and felt that electrical currents were the vehicle of life. They studied electrical eels, and used electricity to stimulate living creature (both alive and dead). The macabre experiments inspired medical science and science fiction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591550496391-K2SDU5J87F28FW413NRR/duo.png Roles - “Electrical Fire” Demonstrations in the curious properties of static electricity fascinated Dr Franklin and many others who saw electricians in public lectures and salons in Europe and America. Mr. Howarth portrays several such showmen who were contemporaries of Franklin. - Ebenezer Kinnersley was an itinerant lecturer from Philadelphia and personal friend of Franklin. His demonstrations mimic those done by Franklin as he laid out the first laws of electricity using Leyden Jars, Electrostatic Generators, and Lightning Rods - Samuel Domjen was an charismatic lecturer from Transylvania who was inspired to travel the world sharing the Wonders of Electrical Fire. He conducted audacious spectacles with electricity in “enlightened” salons in Europe where ladies of the court were electrified with (literally) hair-raising results. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591550984438-H55BTWICCM7BGM0Z74U6/shell.png Roles - The Science of Frankenstein Mary Shelley’s monster was brought to life by a man of science, Victor Frankenstein. Shelley’s chilling story echoes the work of galvanists like Giovani Aldini and Andrew Ure, who attempted to reanimate the dead. This narrative also recounts the ghoulish work of the “Resurrection Men” who procured the cadavers for the anatomy theaters… by means most unsavory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591552143046-V25HTOU70H7CHLUNARCY/Georg_Matthias_Bose.jpg Roles - Electrical Quackery Dr James Graham was one of many quack physicians who thought that electricity was a cure for any and all ailments. Graham’s Electrical Temple of Health in London offered treatments for everything from baldness to matters of a more romantic nature. The Electrical Celestial Bed featured electrified posts and musical accompaniments by Franklin’s glass harmonica, and the “electrical kiss” kindled intimate sparks. The narrative includes the dubious work of other quack scientists such as Franz Anton Mesmer and Elisha Perkins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591557711572-2T054XEFXFWX6HBCV0D6/mezduo2.png Roles - Mesmerism! The flamboyant Franz Anton Mesmer from whom we have the word “mesmerize”, was a German doctor who believed his new science of Animal Magnetism was miraculous cures for many illnesses. Mesmer’s salons in Paris attracted throngs of followers (including Marie Antoinette and the Marquis de Lafayette). It was not until the dubious “peer reviews” of Franklin and Lavoisier did Mesmer’s craze abate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591555808006-HXU5JLUATP1SZG1HPSHH/culp.png Roles - The Science of Espionage Major Benjamin Tallmadge was a school teacher turned spymaster to General Washington. Washington’s Culper Ring of spies used Tallmadge’s numeric codes and tactics to thwart the Redcoats in New York and bring down Benedict Arnold. Scientific principles abound in spy craft - from cryptography and ciphers to the chemistry of invisible inks. The portrayal includes many methods and tricks of espionage, including demonstrations of the mysterious “sympathetic stains” that could make sensitive communiques visible to only those who know the secrets https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591553757979-4NDJ24DGGNUDS43MKUJE/harrisn+%282%29+copy.jpg Roles - Harrison’s Chronometer John Harrison, the humble maker of the seafaring chronometer which allowed ship’s captains to accurately determine their longitude at sea. Harrison’s innovative clock withstood the hardships of travel at sea, and kept time with remarkable accuracy that rivaled celestial navigation methods. His devices helped the likes of Captain Cook as he circumnavigated the globe. This narrative also incorporates the principles of celestial navigation, and finding “the longitudes” at sea. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591554589273-Z7X4CFEC1GIAOAX0U21W/ajj.png Roles - The Aeronaut Dr. John Jeffries, a Boston-born scientist who studied and flew “aerostatic spheres” along with his collaborator, Jean-Pierre Blanchard. The pair used airships similar to those used by the Montgolfier Brothers to cross the English Channel, and inspired men to break the bonds of gravity. Notable men such as Franklin, Jefferson, and Washington were taken with the wondrous possibilities of human flight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591628933148-R7878M91JHZBJDG9TM2T/chlad.gif Roles https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591630473171-1M2DP4RP8R3WY3OZRI2H/elk.gif Roles https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591630828056-75QS21PB6E5PTCE3UQSO/armillarysp_15072_sm.gif Roles https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591631118216-Q0YCXM6A2I5B05WTUBEJ/leyden_35714_sm.gif Roles https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591631269892-UYP3PAA7PPINMB3RACB7/montgolf_bal_2956_sm.gif Roles https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591635708290-52OQPT9YBO4C8ONCH1CP/ggggg.jpg Roles https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/home daily 1.0 2020-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591385548978-IM90PMYNXOKF2J41HV8Z/deantych%252Bcopy.jpg Home https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/mission daily 0.75 2020-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591388123725-57YMHNLUGPQ9K4S49WVD/IMG_0888.JPG Mission The Tycho Brahe Museum ~ Hven https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/performance daily 0.75 2020-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591396431239-BFHJT3BPN79R9DM3HGCM/IMG_1691.JPG Performance https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/contact daily 0.75 2020-06-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591467695310-0UDQF8G4XKQODG9AGZJE/PICT0786.jpg Contact https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/images daily 0.75 2020-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591392961633-FNDFF82EZ39WGSDHRY5V/small+CMF+nat+copy.jpg IMAGES The Naturalist & The Mammoth https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591391297967-GO1D87IE8P0E5O6KLCIK/Joseph+Priestley%27s+Pneumatics+Experiments IMAGES Joseph Priestley’s Pneumatics Experiments https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591391934058-KONMCII9WLQDUR8UJ0AZ/Rumford%27s+curiosities.JPG IMAGES Men of the Enlightenment https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591391170529-ETEVKFBKEIYW249NTMJD/NewtonianSci+copy.JPG IMAGES https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591391452897-B7E7YC1IVTCDXQ6IU51W/Corcoran+Salon+%2713+258.jpg IMAGES Dr. Mesmer’s Salon https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591391570611-0RDAKXKVE1BBL5ED6OMS/PICT0776.jpg IMAGES Dr. Franklin’s Electrical Fire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591391718254-A0GVQGJGAF1LAVZ6DZF4/_DSC1269.jpg IMAGES Mr. Peale’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591391844883-L8AN1P7PE81HV8RTFHUR/170804_275+copy.JPG IMAGES Galvanism, the Science of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591392170909-86BDN71WUZU931J5ML5N/CHF-Science-at-Play-April-2016-020%2B%25282%2529.jpg IMAGES The “Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge” recreated at the Science History Institute, Phila. https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/dean-howarth daily 0.75 2020-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5eda97e4168e9a1a9ba88d7c/1591395879921-8M8DIQMS5EJTISX4OAM5/DH%2B82022b%2Bcopy.jpg DEAN HOWARTH https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/read-me-om daily 0.75 2025-05-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5052176b84aeb45fa5cfcc83/1377097104716-HDI53XJVV0DKZ24A3T68/51e453dee4b06abd3403c22e.png Read Me https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5052176b84aeb45fa5cfcc83/1377096775448-0L7B4Q54H1VLOGFF1DPR/synthetica+%2820130821%29.jpg Read Me https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5052176b84aeb45fa5cfcc83/1377096507573-1MU42OOOOGIM9URAJ9D9/515c4225e4b0afec1218b21e.png Read Me https://www.livinghistoriesofscience.com/classes-alt-om daily 0.75 2025-05-09