Personal Papers
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7091, Science Service, Records
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
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 first public announcement of the creation of Science Service appeared in
In 1921, Howard Wheeler, former editor of the
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,
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
This series contains primarily the correspondence of Edwin E. Slosson, from January 1921 until his death in October 1929; it also includes correspondence and documents relating to all staff activities, and to the formation of Science Service.
State Highway in Bolling Memorial Redwood Grove, Humboldt County, California, 1921. [Image no. SIA2015-003192]
Scene in Bolling Memorial Redwood Grove, Humboldt County, California, 1921. [Image no. SIA2015-003193]
Scene in Bolling Memorial Redwood Grove, Humboldt County, California, 1921. [Image no. SIA2015-003194]
Plate on boulder in Bolling Memorial Redwood Grove, Humboldt County, California, 1921. [Image no. SIA2015-003195]
Witnesses for the Defense in the Scopes Trial 1925, 3 pages. [Image nos. SIA2011-1076 through SIA2011-1078]
Telegram from Clarance Darrow, dated July 7, 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-006841]
This series contains miscellaneous correspondence of Edwin E. Slosson before he became director of Science Service, drafts and final manuscripts, and correspondence relating to his publications, lectures, and sermons in the 1920s.
This series includes the correspondence of Howard Wheeler, when he served as Science Service business manager from 1921-1923, and other business and client correspondence through 1925. The business manager's correspondence for 1921 is filed with the director's correspondence in Series 2. Most of Science Service's financial and business records for years after 1925 were not transferred to the Smithsonian Institution Archives, but there is considerable business correspondence within Series 5, especially for the years when Watson Davis served as managing editor.
This series contains correspondence, manuscripts, brochures, photographs, and other materials related to the activities of Watson Davis and other senior staff members, beginning in 1921. It includes copies of editorial correspondence from senior staff members such as Frank Thone, James Stokley, Marjorie Van de Water, Jane Stafford, Robert Potter, and Leonard Engel, and correspondence and payment slips for the writers and photographers (stringers) who sold material to Science Service. Series 5 also contains records relating to Watson Davis's participation in various organizations and social clubs, journalism competitions, and the sponsorship of science fairs, Science Talent Search, and Science Clubs of America, as well as the manuscripts the staff wrote for other publications.
Itinerary for Watson Davis's European Trip, August-October 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-007146]
Louise Omwake (1907-2008), Katherine Tait Omwake (1902-1993), Thelma Hunt (1903-1992), and Alice Haines (1904-1974), George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test," August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006867]
Participants in the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006868]
Katherine Tait Omwake (1902-1993), Louise Omwake (1907-2008), Thelma Hunt (1903-1992), and Alice Haines (1904-1974), George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test," August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006869]
Thelma Hunt (1903-1992), parking a car in front of the George Washington University Home Economics Department, Washington, D.C., August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006870]
Thelma Hunt (1903-1992), parking a car in front of the George Washington University Home Economics Department, Washington, D.C., August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006871]
Alice Haines (1904-1974), parking a car in front of the George Washington University Home Economics Department, Washington, D.C., August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006872]
Participants in the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006873]
Watson Hiner Monroe (1907-1992) (at left, behind the wheel) and Katherine Tait Omwake (1902-1993) and Thelma Hunt (1903-1992) (visible in the back seat), participating in driving test as part of the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006874]
Watson Hiner Monroe (1907-1992) (at left, behind the wheel) and Katherine Tait Omwake (1902-1993) and Thelma Hunt (1903-1992) (visible in the back seat), participating in driving test as part of the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006875]
Alice Haines (1904-1974) (outside at left), Robert Spencer Ward (1906-1968), and Thelma Hunt (1903-1992) (at right, behind the wheel), participating in the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006876]
Alice Haines (1904-1974) (outside at left), Robert Spencer Ward (1906-1968), and Thelma Hunt (1903-1992) (at right, behind the wheel), participating in the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006877]
Watson Hiner Monroe (1907-1992) (at left, behind the wheel) and Thelma Hunt (1903-1992) (visible in the back seat), participating in driving test as part of the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006878]
Participants in the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test," August 15, 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006879]
Fred August Moss (1893-1966) (at left) umpires a softball game as part of the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 15, 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006880]
Participants in the George Washington University "Sleeplessness Test" weekend, August 1925 [Image no. SIA2015-006881]
Hilda Hempl Heller (1891-1964) and Wambute pygmy woman. [Image no. SIA2017-095109]
Handwritten letter by Viola Anderson, April 13, 1935. [Image no. SIA2015-003190box ]
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), c. 1939-1940. [Image no. SIA2007-0002]
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), c. 1939-1940. [Image no. SIA2007-0003]
Atom Bomb Coverage by Science Service, 1946. [Image no. SIA2007-0004]
This series includes correspondence, reports, agendas, and other materials relating to Watson Davis's membership on advisory committees for George Washington University,
NIH Institute of Dental Research, Roscoe B. Jackson Memorial Laboratory, National Association of Science Writers, and National Inventors Council. Box 370 also contains four
folders with miscellaneous material: Folder 19 contains copies of articles Davis wrote for
Some of these files (Box 371, folders 1 - 19 and 21) are the records of Science Service staff writer Ann Ewing, who covered physics and astronomy in the 1950s. There are also files that appear to have been part of the Science Service "morgue" files for topics in physics, astronomy, engineering, and home construction.
This series contains background material, edited drafts, and final versions of the
On five days a week, Science Service supplied a
These records provide a glimpse of typical subjects and approaches for science news of the time. They also suggest how Science Service acquired many of its stories. Files include such material as reporters' interview notes; copies of scientific and engineering journal articles; speeches and press releases; correspondence with sources; and occasional complaints about accuracy, along with the writer's response. Representative topics include: the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, Soviet science, wartime research in medicine and engineering, advances in medicine and dentistry, and electronics and computing.
Researchers may find this series useful both for analysis of reports on particular topics or subject areas (e.g., pesticides, aviation, pharmacology, or archeology) and changes in news writing techniques.
Flying Lobsters. [Image no. SIA2016-014243]
Burkey Fish Fence Charger. [Image no. SIA2016-014244]
In June 1938, the Rockefeller Foundation sponsored a conference in Rye, New York, on the "interpretation of the natural sciences for the general public." Watson Davis, Director of Science Service, was one of the invited participants (transcripts of that conference are in Series 9, Box 382, Folders 3 and 4). After the conference, John Marshall, Assistant Director for Humanities at the Rockefeller Foundation, arranged for Science Service to conduct a follow-up survey for $2000. This project ran from September 1938 to January 1939 and attempted to measure how science was then being presented to the public in newspapers, magazines, radio, film, and museum exhibits. The report (see Series 9, Box 382, Folder 5) was delivered to the Rockefeller Foundation in February 1939 but never published; it was disseminated officially only within the Rockefeller Foundation and to Science Service trustees.
Series 9 contains four boxes of material related to the survey: (a) copies of the original draft and final version of the report; (b) correspondence with the sponsor and media contacts; (c) coding sheets and tabulations of the analyses of newspaper, magazine, book, and movie content; and (d) articles, reports, movie press books, postcards, and other material consulted during the project.
This series consists of scripts, correspondence, and other material relating to Science Service radio programs on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 1935-1958, and other Science Service broadcasting activities. Folders often contain both draft and final scripts together with correspondence and background material. For audio recordings see Series 20: "Adventures In Science" Recordings, 1951-1959.
Beginning in the 1920s, Science Service staff wrote 15-minute radio scripts ("Science Service Talks" and "Science News of the Week") which were mailed every week to several dozen U.S. radio stations and then read on the air by local announcers or scientists. By the early 1930s, they were also producing a weekly live-broadcast program for CBS, which eventually featured interviews of scientists. CBS and Science Service renamed these programs "Adventures in Science" beginning with the May 6, 1938, broadcast. Between May 6 and September 30, 1938, CBS controlled all writing and production and CBS staff member Paul Woodbridge hosted the program until it was cancelled September 30, 1938. "Adventures in Science" resumed as a weekly program on CBS on January 5, 1939, with a format of brief news bulletins followed by an interview conducted by Watson Davis. Programs were suspended during World War II and during football seasons in the 1940s and early 1950s. CBS cancelled "Adventures in Science" in December 1958.
Series 10 contains primarily records for "Science News of the Week," 1935-1938, and "Adventures in Science," 1938-1958. There are also scripts for other radio programs on which Watson Davis appeared.
During the 1930s and 1940s, listeners could request either a copy of the script or a special supplementary bulletin. Box 388 contains almost a complete set of mimeographed scripts and bulletins for the broadcasts in 1939 and 1940. Individual broadcast folders in other boxes may contain an annotated script ("as delivered") with any changes made immediately before or during the broadcast. By the 1950s, interviews were ad-libbed and no formal script was prepared beforehand.
Files also contain correspondence from CBS employees such as Lyman Bryson, Sterling Fisher, Leon Levine, Helen J. Sioussant, and Paul Woodbridge.
Series 10 remains in the order the files were received upon transfer to the Smithsonian Institution Archives. Folders, especially for the later broadcasts, are therefore not necessarily in chronological order. A few folders contain material related to cancelled or planned broadcasts. The finding aid lists the broadcast date, guest(s), and either the program title or general topic.
Frank Thone (1891-1949) interviewing Science Talent Search finalists, 1945. [Image no. SIA2007-0007]
Adventures In Science broadcast, Princeton University, January 4, 1947. [Image no. SIA2007-0018box ]
This series contains photographs of Science Service staff and Watson Davis's family, photographs of various scientific events and meetings, original art for "Cartoonograph"
and other features, rough proofs for
Gag portrait photograph of Science Service astronomy editor James Stokley (1900-1989), wearing pince-nez and bowtie, c. 1920. [Image no. SIA2015-003196]
Watson Davis, Frank Thone, and Charlotte Davis (daughter of Watson), 1920s. [Image no. SIA2007-0005]
Frank Thone, Science Service biology editor, with a waist can on top of his head, 1920s. [Image no. SIA2015-004062]
Watson Davis (1896-1967), August 1924 [Image no. SIA2009-0451]
Privies with "Read Your Bible" sign during time of Scopes Trial, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925. [Image no. SIA2007-0112]
Winchester Cathedral, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003197]
North Gate, at Salisbury, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003198]
Dover Cliffs from Folkestone, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003199]
Thatched cottage, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003200]
Salisbury Cathedral, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003201]
Probably Dawlish Bathing Beach in Devon, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003202]
Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003203]
Salisbury Cathedral, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003204]
English Countryside, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003205]
Touring bus at an unidentified church (possibly scientists at the British Association for the Advancement of Science meeting), September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003206]
Unidentified Church, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003207]
Five-Hole Stocks (possibly at Brading, Isle of Wight), September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003208]
St. Mary the Virgin Church, Brading, Isle of Wight, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003209]
Exeter Cathedral, September 1925. [Image no. SIA2015-003210]
Portrait of Watson Davis (1896-1967), 1925 [Image no. SIA2016-000428]
Outdoor trial showing William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, Dayton, Tennessee, July 20, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2007-0124]
Outdoor trial showing William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, Dayton, Tennessee, July 20, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2007-0125]
Unidentified man; Defense Mansion in background, c. July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1090]
E. Haldeman-Julius, standing in front of Defense Mansion, Dayton Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1092]
Andrewena Robinson Davis. Daughter of F. E. Robinson, owner of the Dayton drugstore, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1093]
Group on steps of Dayton Methodist Episcopal Church (North), Dayton, Tennessee, c. July 12, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1095]
Group on steps of Dayton Methodist Episcopal Church (North), Dayton, Tennessee, c. July 12, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1096]
Howard Gale Byrd, standing by the Dayton Methodist Episcopal Church (North) sign, c. July 12, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1098]
George Washington Rappleyea, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1099]
George Washington Rappleyea, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1100]
F. E. Robinson's Drugstore, Main Street, Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1101]
F. E. Robinson's Drugstore, Main Street, Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1102]
Main Street, Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1103]
Abandoned building, Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1104]
Tennessee v. John T. Scopes Trial: Main Street, Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1105]
Group of men walking (Dudley Field Malone, George Washington Rappleyea, John Randolph Neal, John T. Scopes, Clarence Darrow, unidentified man in straw hat), July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1106]
Doris Stevens (married to Dudley Field Malone), July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1107]
Ova Corvin ("Precious") Rappleyea (married to George Rappleyea), July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1108]
George Washington Rappleyea (left) and Charles Francis Potter (right), c. July 12, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1112]
George Washington Rappleyea, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1113]
Outdoor proceedings on July 20, 1925, showing William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, July 20, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1114]
Howard Gale Byrd, Outside Defense Mansion, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1117]
Unidentified man in front of auto dealership, Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1120]
John Thomas Scopes, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1121]
John Thomas Scopes (left) and George Washington Rappleyea (right), June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1122]
Dayton, Tennessee, High School, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1123]
View of Dayton, Tennessee, from tower, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1124]
Rhea County (Tennessee) Courthouse, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1125]
Rhea County (Tennessee) Courthouse, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1126]
View of Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1127]
Howard Gale Byrd, Charles Francis Potter, with Byrd's children John and Lillian, in front of Byrd's parsonage in Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1128]
Ova Corvin ("Precious") Rappleyea, standing on steps of the Defense Mansion, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1129]
Dayton, Tennessee, High School, June 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1139]
Cumberland Coal and Iron Company buildings, Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1140]
Rural countryside near Dayton, Tennessee, June 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1144]
Scientists Gathered at Defense Mansion, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1146]
Privies with "Read Your Bible" sign during time of Scopes Trial, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1138]
Privies with "Read Your Bible" sign during time of Scopes Trial, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1137]
Privies with "Read Your Bible" sign during time of Scopes Trial, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1110]
Group of People in Dayton, Tennessee, 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1141]
Howard Gale Byrd, standing by the Dayton Methodist Episcopal Church (North) sign, c. July 12, 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1145]
Howard Gale Byrd, Outside Defense Mansion, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1115]
Howard Gale Byrd, Outside Defense Mansion, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1116]
Howard Gale Byrd, Outside Defense Mansion, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1118]
View of Dayton, Tennessee, from tower, June 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1142]
View of Dayton, Tennessee, from tower, June 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1143]
Scientists Gathered at Defense Mansion, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1148]
Scientists Gathered at Defense Mansion, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (nitrate negative removed for conservation). [Image no. SIA2007-0126]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1130]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1131]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1132]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1133]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1134]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1135]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2007-0121]
Worshipers observing a baptism near Dayton, Tennessee, July 19, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2007-0122]
E. Haldeman-Julius (close-up), standing in front of Defense Mansion, Dayton Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1091]
George Washington Rappleyea (left) with unidentified man, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1111]
George Washington Rappleyea, Howard Gale Byrd, and Charles Francis Potter, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1097]
Group of Photographers, Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1109]
Group on steps of Dayton Methodist Episcopal Church (North), Dayton, Tennessee, July 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1094]
George Washington Rappleyea (left) and John Thomas Scopes (right), June 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1119]
Outdoor trial showing William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, Dayton, Tennessee, July 20, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2007-0123]
Unidentified Woman, July 1925 (folder 19). [Image no. SIA2008-1147]
Men possibly approaching and boarding a boat, 1925 (folder 18). [Image no. SIA2008-1136]
Cartoonograph #50: "U.S. Spending Petroleum Lavishly," 1924. [Image no. SIA2010-3711]
Cartoonograph #111: "Cost of 1924 Campaigns for Presidency Nine Cents for Every Person in U.S.," 1924. [Image no. SIA2010-3712]
Cartoonograph #115: "U.S. and Great Britain Struggle for World Shoe and Leather Trade," 1924. [Image no. SIA2010-3713]
Cartoonograph #134: "Radio Manufactures Surpass Chewing Gum Output in Value." [Image no. SIA2010-3714]
Cartoonograph #140: "Average Person in U.S. Eats 167 lbs. Meat in One Year." [Image no. SIA2010-3715]
Portrait of Watson Davis (1896-1967). [Image no. SIA2007-0109]
Outfit designed for female factory workers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture had removable sleeves, 1941. [Image no. SIA2015-003211]
A mechanic's suit with visored cap designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for female workers during World War II, 1941. [Image no. SIA2015-003212]
The "Coverette" garment (a jumper slack suit) designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for female farm workers during World War II, 1941. [Image no. SIA2015-003213]
Ernest Orlando Lawrence (1901-1958), 1939. [Image no. SIA2007-0006]
Fabrics of the Future Exhibit, c. 1938-1939. [Image no. 2005-10444]
This series consists of materials relating to Science Service's news coverage of an expedition by Arctic explorer Knud Rasmussen and their arrangements for a 1924 visit to Washington, D.C., by Rasmussen, two native Greenlanders (Arnarulunguak and Meetek Kavigarsuak), and photographer Leo Hansen.
Group of Eskimos on the ice, c. 1924. [Image no. SIA2015-006842]
Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8625]
Explorers of the Danish Fifth Thule Expedition, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8627]
Skongen, Expedition's Ship, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8628]
Rasmussen Expedition Headquarters, "Danish Island," 1924. [Image no. 2005-8636]
Canoes with Sails on Repulse Bay, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8630]
Ice Floes Utilized as Ferry Boats, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8638]
Old Woman of the Padlermiut, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8634]
Eskimo Named "The Frostbitten," 1924. [Image no. 2005-8642]
Eskimo Dance Ritual, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8641]
A Man from the Umingmaktormiut Tribe, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8629]
Sunrise After a Long Winter, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8640]
A Great Teller of Stories and Legends of the Eskimo Race, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8626]
Burying Members of the Franklin Expedition at Starvation Cove, c. 1924. [Image no. 2005-8639]
Dance for Rasmussen Expedition, c. 1924. [Image no. 2005-8632]
Arnarulunguak, Rasmussen and Miteq Leaving Point Barrow, Alaska, c. 1924. [Image no. 2005-8635]
Map Showing Rasmussen Journey, c. 1924. [Image no. 2005-8623]
Rasmussen, Arnarulunguak and Miteq Visit Washington, D.C., 1924. [Image no. 2005-8624]
Leo Hansen and Knud Rasmussen, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8649]
Four Members of the Rasmussen Expedition Visit Danish Legation, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8656]
Arnarulunguak Dressed in her Arctic Furs, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8643]
Arnarulunguak and Miteq Visit Washington, D.C., 1924. [Image no. 2005-8652]
Eskimo Settlement, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8633]
Danish Legation Secretary with Members of Rasmussen Expedition, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8651]
Rasmussen with Others at the Train Station, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8645]
Danish Legation Secretary with Armarulunguak and Miteq, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8648]
Rasmussen, Arnarulunguak and Miteq, 1924. [Image no. 2005-8654]
This series consists of materials relating to the promotion of Interlingua as an international scientific and technical language. In April 1953, the International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA) discontinued its promotional activities and turned those functions over to Science Service's Interlingua Division. Alexander Gode, who had been IALA's Director of Research, became director of the Science Service operation. Much of the correspondence in the 1950s is concerned with attempts to secure funding.
This series consists of materials relating to Watson Davis's participation in the National Inventors Council, which was established to funnel ideas and useful patents to the government. Frequent correspondents throughout the series include John C. Green, Lawrence Langer, L.B. Lent, and Thomas R. Taylor.
After World War II, Watson Davis and Science Service continued their international efforts to increase public understanding of science through participation in conferences and projects sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This series documents a project, funded during the 1940s by the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, U.S. Department of State, through the American Council of Learned Societies and Science Service. The goal was to assist the translation of books into Spanish and Portuguese and to subsidize their publication in Latin America. Files contain notes and correspondence about books under consideration and some of those adopted for the program. Frequent correspondents in this series include Christine Buechner, Executive Secretary of the Committee on Inter-American Scientific Publication.
Correspondence relating to Science Service material syndicated to newspapers, research institutions, and private corporations.
This series consists of materials relating to the non-profit American Documentation Institute (ADI) and its predecessor organizations. In 1926, Science Service
established a Documentation Division to explore means of disseminating scientific information by voice, print, and film, and it began experimenting with microphotographic
processes and equipment (see "Plan for Film Record Prepared by Science Service," June 15, 1926, Box 436, Folder 12). In 1934, they established a Bibliofilm Service to microfilm
technical material on demand and began a cooperative project with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (see agreement in Box 172, Folder 13). ADI was incorporated in
1937 as a non-profit corporation with members nominated by several dozen scholarly and scientific groups; in 1941, ADI's Bibliofilm Service operations were transferred permanently
to USDA. ADI also established an Oriental Science Literature Service to translate Japanese and Chinese scientific and medical literature and, during 1941-1942, published
Drafts and final versions of speeches and articles by Watson Davis; background material for lectures; correspondence on related topics; proofs and correspondence
for
This series consists of audiotape recordings and phonograph transcriptions of "Adventures in Science" radio broadcasts in the 1950s. By 1952, most programs did not have prepared scripts for the interview (see Series 10 for the surviving records of programs from 1935-1958). Each entry in Series 20 lists when a taped program was broadcast (if known) and either the type of program or the name of guest interviewed.
"Keystone Science Service" was a Science Service project intended to provide a "new type of science coverage" targeted to a particular region and which operated ca. 1935-1936. It involved coordinating news perceived to be of special interest to Pennsylvania readers and inviting scientists in Pennsylvania to contribute short articles on topics related to the state. Series 21 contains samples of the drafts and final versions of the news service.
Hans Bethe and Reporters, January 1939. [Image no. 2005-10445box ]