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Exploring the History of Engineering at the Linda Hall Library Exploring the History of Engineering at the Linda Hall Library Benjamin Gross, Ph.D. VP for Research & Scholarship Linda Hall Library September 18, 2018 City of Fountains,Engineers, HeartHeart ofof thethe NationNation https://www.kauffman.org/ https://http://commons.wikimedia.orgeclubofkc.org/ / City of Engineers, Heart of the Nation https://www.kctechcouncil.com/ Engineering Triumphs Kansas City Bridge (1869) Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (2011) LHL https://www.azahner.com/ …and Tragedies Kemper Arena (1979) Hyatt Regency Hotel (1981) http://www.kcur.org/ https://www.kansascity.com/ Recent Achievements Google Fiber (2012) KC Streetcar (2016) https://www.nytimes.com/ https://www.nytimes.com/ Linda Hall Library A Plenary in Three Parts 1) The Roots of American Engineering 2) A Remarkable Gift 3) New Frontiers in the History of Engineering LHL I. The Roots of American Engineering Images from The Panorama of Professions and Trades (Edward Hazen, 1836) The Middlesex Canal • 1793: Formation of Middlesex Canal Company • Goal: Linking Charles and Merrimack Rivers (27 miles) • Loammi Baldwin (1744-1807) • Cabinetmaker and Revolutionary War veteran • No experience building canals • Reliance on foreign expertise (William Weston) ”The greatest work of the kind which has been completed in the United States.” –Albert Gallatin http://www.middlesexcanal.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/ European Engineering Traditions British civil engineers French military engineers LHL LHL British Civil Engineers • Characteristics • Open to all social classes • Empirical approach • Focus on industrial or civilian projects • Apprenticeship system • Examples: • John Smeaton (1724-1792) • Thomas Telford (1757-1834) • William Weston (1763-1833) LHL French Military Engineers • Characteristics • Rooted in military practice (1676: Corps du génie) • Dominated by upper and middle classes • Theoretical approach • State-sponsored schools (1794- École polytechnique) • Examples: • Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707) • August-Jean Fresnel (1788-1827) • Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot (1796-1832) http://www.paintingsoncanvas.net Napoleon’s Expedition to Egypt LHL LHL The First Wave of American Engineers AutomatedOliver Evans flour (1755 mill- (1795)1819) JamesSt. Buchanan Louis Bridge Eads (1874) (1820-1887) LHL LHL U.S. Engineering Schools • 1802: West Point established • More schools followed • 1823: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) • 1847: Lawrence Scientific School (Harvard) • 1862: Morrill Land Grant Act • By 1872: 70 engineering schools across the U.S. • 1877: University of Missouri • 1891: University of Kansas LHL A New Generation Electric Streetcar System, WashingtonBrooklyn Roebling Bridge (1883)(1837-1926) Frank Sprague (1857-1934) LHL Richmond, VA (1888) LHL Defining a profession • Growing numbers of American engineers • 1850: ~2,000 engineers • 1880: ~7,000 engineers • 1920: ~136,000 engineers • Formation of professional organizations • Franklin Institute (1824) • Educational mission • Publishing technical knowledge • Standardization & safety LHL regulations The Founding Societies 1852 (1867) • National engineering 1871 organizations emerged after Civil War • National organizations that: 1880 • Determined professional standards • Hosted national meetings • Published journals disseminating 18841963 new engineering knowledge • 1913: Established a shared library in New York City Engineering Societies1908 Library LHL II. A Remarkable Gift Linda and Herbert Linda Southall (1859-1938) Herbert Hall (1858-1941) A Long & Happy Marriage “A free public library for the use of the people of Kansas City and the public generally...” Linda Hall Library trustees (1956) Joseph Shipman (1908-1977) An Unforgettable Day A Growing Institution • 1946-1956: Hall Mansion • 1956: New building • 1965: History of Science Center • 1978: Reading room expansion • 2006: Latest stacks expansion A Growing Institution • 1946-1956: Hall Mansion • 1956: New building • 1965: History of Science Center • 1978: Reading room expansion • 2006: Latest stacks expansion A Growing Institution • 1946-1956: Hall Mansion • 1956: New building • 1965: History of Science Center • 1978: Reading room expansion • 2006: Latest stacks expansion A Growing Institution • 1946-1956: Hall Mansion • 1956: New building • 1965: History of Science Center • 1978: Reading room expansion • 2006: Latest stacks expansion A Growing Institution • 1946-1956: Hall Mansion • 1956: New building • 1965: History of Science Center • 1978: Reading room expansion • 2006: Latest stacks expansion A Growing Institution • 1946-1956: Hall Mansion • 1956: New building • 1965: History of Science Center • 1978: Reading room expansion • 2006: Latest stacks expansion More Room for Collections • 1946: American Academy of Arts and Sciences Library • 1985: Franklin Institute Library • 1995: Engineering Societies Library • Continued collecting activity today… LHL Preserving Print in the Digital Age • 500,000+ monographs • 48,000 journal titles (69 languages represented) • Other publications • Government documents • Technical reports • Industrial standards • Unpublished engineering society conference papers • Patent literature (PTRC) • Committed to retaining print (no e-only subscriptions) The History of Science Collection • Subject strengths: • Astronomy • Physical sciences • Life sciences • Engineering • Mathematics • Highlights: • Nicolaus Copernicus, De revolutionibus… (1543) • Isaac Newton, Principia mathematica (1687) • Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859) Landmark Texts Galileo Galilei, Sidereus nuncius (1610) Robert Hooke, Micrographia (1665) LHL LHL Recent Rare Book Acquisitions Ignace Chappe, Histoire Jules Marcou, Geological Map of the United States (1853) LHL de la télégraphie (1840) LHL III. New Frontiers in the History of Engineering Agostino Ramelli, Diverse et artificose machine (1588) The Linda Hall Library is a guardian of the collective intellectual heritage with regard to science, technology, and engineering disciplines; a destination for advanced research and scholarship, and a center for public education in the sciences. Exhibitions Samuel Langley’s Aerodrome A ready for launch (1903) LHL Public Tours and Presentations Photo courtesy of Paul Rutherford Guest Speakers A Community of Scholars • Linda Hall Library fellowships support researchers from around the world. • 16 scholars visiting Kansas City during 2018-19 academic year. • Recent topics: • Copernicus Through the Eyes of His Contemporaries • Regulatory Engineers in the Environmental Protection Agency and Engineering Societies, 1969-1980 • Influential Books in the Development of European Mathematics from 1500-1820 • Aeronautical Culture in France, 1860-1908 • British Colonial Botanic Gardens and the Uses of Science in the Late-18th and Early- 19th Centuries New Histories of Engineering (Professional Identity) • Heidi Voskuhl (University of Pennsylvania) • “Engineers’ Philosophy: Industrialism, Theories of Technology, and Social Order in the Second Industrial Revolution” • Reconstruction of transatlantic exchanges between American and German engineers LHL New Histories of Engineering (Controlling the Environment) • Joanna Gaspar de Freitas (University of Lisbon) • “Against Sea and Sand: Strategies on Coastal Defense” • Comparative study of coastal management strategies LHL Histories of Engineering (Maintenance and Infrastructure) • Lee Vinsel (Virginia Tech) • “After Innovation: Maintenance, Care, and Our American Dreams” • Analysis of shifting rhetoric surrounding innovation and maintenance LHL Publications by LHL Fellows Thank you! • Questions? • Comments? • If you like science, technology, engineering (or their histories) be sure to follow the Linda Hall Library on social media! • Website: http://www.lindahall.org • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Linda.Hall.Library/ • Twitter: @LindaHall_org • Instagram: @Linda.Hall.Library LHL.
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