Fall 2019-Fall 2020
Cosmos: Sand Dollars to Stars

Young children are curious about everything; they are constantly asking why. This exhibit celebrates people whose wonder was life-long and whose scientific discoveries extended human understanding, from sand dollars to the stars.

We start with Isaac Newton and a spectrum of his works, centering on Principia Mathematica, which is considered the founding document of modern science and the point of origin for our understanding of the physical world.

We continue with works by scientists who followed Newton, such as Benjamin Franklin, Charles Darwin, and Nathaniel Bowditch, the Salem-born mathematical genius. Bowditch, protégé of and later benefactor to the Salem Athenaeum, was inspired by the very books displayed in this exhibit.

 

 

 

In the 21st century, these books of science still spark wonder and the spirit of discovery.

The Cosmos opening event on November 22, 2019 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. included a brief presentation by Dr. Hale Bradt  at 7:15 p.m. on Isaac Newton’s works displayed in the exhibit.

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