We tell the stories behind the science.

Science is all around us. It shapes who we are and what we do, from the clothes we wear and the phones we carry, to the food we eat and the water we drink. But science has a past—a rich and often surprising past that reveals the origins of ideas and innovations that impact our daily lives.

The Science History Institute collects, preserves, interprets, and shares that past by exploring lesser-known and sometimes overlooked stories from the history of science and technology. And we don’t just mean discoveries made in laboratories. We dive deep into the history of scientific successes and failures, with a focus on expanding knowledge and broadening our understanding of how science and society intersect.

History and Future

Founded in 1982, the Institute is dedicated to uncovering the hidden stories of the people responsible for significant scientific achievements and to illuminating the complex circumstances behind important moments of investigation and discovery. As the Science History Institute looks forward, our research, storytelling, public programming, and educational outreach will continue to reflect these diverse and compelling histories and to challenge perspectives by applying a critical lens to past theories and harmful practices.