Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
the 1930s, no one had to persuade newspapers to attend to science. From
the
New York Times
to
Saturday Evening Post
, Hollywood movies to net-
work radio,
Arrowsmith
to World's Fair exhibitions, science and scien-
tists were accepted as suitable subjects for news, entertainment, promo-
tion, merchandizing, and even satire. Understanding the development of
Science Service during its formative years, and the motivations of the
people associated with it, will assist historians in unpacking further the
array of forces that shaped (and continue to shape) popular science con-
tent.
Acknowledgments
The author gratefully acknowledges the role played by Dr. Audrey Da-
vis, a historian whose foresight enabled the original transfer of the Sci-
ence Service editorial records to the Smithsonian Institution. The author
also thanks the staff of the Smithsonian Institution Archives and Hagley
Library for assistance with this research, and participants in the April
2005 conference 'Science for Sale? The Public Communication of Sci-
ence in a Corporate World' at Cornell University, and especially Profes-
sor Trevor Pinch, for comments on presentation of this history.
References
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Kevles, D.J.: 1978,
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Knopf, New York.
Kirchhofer, A.H.: 1932, 'Science Service Conference',
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,
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A New Voice for Science: Science Service under Edwin E. Slosson
,
1921-1929, M.A. thesis, University of North Carolina.
