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Internet Resources

This subject guide is broken down into five categories:

1. Links (sites leading you to many other resources)

2. Topical sites (sites about a specific aspect of history of science & technology)

3. Sites relating to specific museums, institutes, and research centers

4. Libraries and archives with material relating to the history of science and technology

5. Professional Organizations

This subject guide is not meant to be an exhaustive list of web sites with information on the history of science and technology. Such lists have already been produced and some have been done quite well; rather this guide will help steer you to the most complete, reliable, and useful of these web sites.


Link sites

Topical sites

General History of Science & Technology

  • Epact: Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
    Epact is an electronic catalogue of medieval and renaissance scientific instruments from four European museums: the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Florence, the British Museum, London, and the Museum Boerhaave, Leiden. Together, these museums house the finest collections of early scientific instruments in the world.
  • The Galileo Project
    This site, produced at Rice University, is an essential one for information about Galileo and science during his lifetime, 1564-1642.
  • The Nobel e-Museum
    The Nobel e-Museum "aims to provide easy access to information about the scientific and literary achievements as well as peace efforts recognized by the Nobel Prize, and to stimulate interest of students in the Prize areas."

History of Astronomy

  • A History of the International Date Line
    A site at the University of Utrecht with a great deal of information about all aspects of what is now known as the International Date Line.
  • Johannes Kepler: His Life, His Laws and Times
    A page maintained by NASA in support of its Kepler Mission to search for Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars.
  • Starry Messenger
    "The Starry Messenger is Phase I of the Electronic History of Astronomy developed in the Whipple Museum of the History of Science and the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. The aim of this project is to make available electronically some aspects of the early history of astronomy for the use of students studying the History and Philosophy of Science in the University."

History of Mathematics

  • The History of Mathematics
    A page maintained at Trinity College, Dublin, this site also has an excellent page of links to other sites related to the history of mathematics.

History of Physics

  • Nobel Laureates in Physics 1901 - 1999
    A well-constructed page listing in reverse chronological order the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics along with relevant links for each prize winner.

History of Technology

  • Building the Washington Metro: On Online Exhibit
    "This site tells the story of the Washington Metro, a 103-mile rapid transit system serving Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia. Planning for Metro began in the 1950s, construction began in 1969, and the first segment opened for operation in 1976. Metro is one of the largest public-works projects ever built, and it is the second-busiest rail transit system in the United States."
  • Steam Engine Library
    A major site with electronic versions of the significant texts relating to the history of the steam engine. Produced by the University of Rochester.

Individual Scientists & Engineers

  • The Correspondence of Athanasius Kircher
    This is a major project to produce an Internet edition of the correspondence of Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), the Jesuit polymath. He was "widely regarded as the physical embodiment of all the learning of his age... He wrote over thirty separate works dealing with subjects ranging from optics to music, from Egyptology to magnetism."
  • The Newton Project
    This site intends "to make available on-line transcripts of all of Newton’s writings, including notes and marginalia, along with scholarly editorial apparatus and translations of non-English text." This site is maintained at Imperial College, London.

Museums, Institutes, and other research centers

  • AIP Center for History of Physics
    The American Institute of Physics web site supports the mission of the Center for History of Physics to "preserve and make known the history of modern physics and the allied sciences." The site includes descriptions of the Center's archival collections and links to useful physics and science resources on the Internet.
  • Historic American Engineering Record
    National Park Service organization that documents American industrial, maritime, and engineering history.
  • Institute and Museum of History of Science
    Located in Florence, Italy, this bilingual site is a nice complement to the Oxford museum.
  • Museum of the History of Science
    Oxford, England, institution with a number of virtual exhibitions and links to other resources.
  • National Museum of Science & Industry
    UK institution which is actually three separate museums: The Science Museum in London, the National Railway Museum in York, and the National Museum of Photography, Film, and Television in Bradford.

Libraries and Archives

Professional Organizations

  • The British Society for the History of Mathematics
    "The aims of the British Society for the History of Mathematics are to promote research into the history of mathematics and its use at all levels of mathematics education." It also has a rich collection of links to history of mathematics web sites.
  • British Society for the History of Science
    UK-based organization joining those with an interest in history of science. They also publish the British Journal for the History of Science.
  • History of Science Society
    US-based organization joining those with an interest in history of science. They also publish the journal Isis.
  • Institution of Civil Engineers (United Kingdom)
    Professional organization. Their Library page contains a good deal of historical information.
  • The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT)
    "An interdisciplinary organization, SHOT is concerned not only with the history of technological devices and processes, but also with the relations of technology to science, politics, social change, the arts and humanities, and economics." They also publish the journal Technology and Culture.