Up Up And Away Science History Institute

Emily Johnson

-Mar 12, 2026, 4:24 AM

up up and away science history institute

If judged by our verbal expressions, we are obsessed with the impossible. Take, for instance, the saying “that went down like a lead balloon.” The phrase originated in a Mom ’n Pop comic strip written by Loren Taylor in 1924 in which Pop’s stock investment “was about to go up as fast as a lead balloon.” It entered... The rock band Led Zeppelin turned the expression into an ironic name. After all, lead balloons can’t fly, right? Jim Birkett, a chemist at the consulting firm Arthur D.

Little disagreed. While doodling at his desk in 1977 the idea of a lead balloon crossed his mind. After some quick calculations he determined that an extremely thin sphere of lead foil filled with helium would rise as long as it was at least 6 feet in diameter. He organized a company contest to find the best lead-balloon designs and set a launch date for the competition. The highest flyer would win. Birkett’s inspiration did not materialize out of thin air.

Arthur D. Little’s eponymous founder had upended a similar expression in 1921 when he challenged the company’s chemists to create a “silk” purse from a sow’s ear. That adage had existed since at least 1738, when it was popularized by Jonathan Swift’s Polite Conversation. The Boston-based company believed that scientific progress had left Swift’s expression by the wayside. Building on advances in the synthetic-fiber industry, Arthur D. Little had 100 pounds of sows’ ears reduced to glue, which the company’s chemists then dissolved, filtered, and finally turned into fiber.

The “silk” fiber was woven into two small purses that resemble the kind used by French nobility in the Middle Ages. Today one purse is stored at the National Museum of American History, while the other is at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Science History Institute is a small museum dedicated to the history of the chemical and molecular sciences. We tell the stories behind the science: histories of discovery and innovation, challenge and change. Our collections include scientific instrumentation and tools of the laboratory, artwork related to alchemy and early chemistry, photography and archives, a specialized research library with a rare books collection, and a growing digital collection. Our main museum and permanent exhibition are on the first floor, with an additional upper-level mezzanine.

We also have a special changing exhibits gallery, and regular “pop-up” exhibits in our ExhibitLab and on the exterior of our building façade; please check our website to see what’s new and currently on... Our tours and programs are most suitable for ages 12-13 (7th grade) and up. We do not have a lunchroom, cafe, or any food facilities on-site for groups. However, there is a lovely park right down the street that many groups choose to picnic in (Independence National Historical Park). Please note that food and drinks are not allowed inside the gallery spaces, as it risks attracting pests or causing water damage to our artifacts. On our first floor you will find wheelchair-accessible water fountains, a water bottle filling station, a coat check with free lockers (unattended), and a men’s and women’s restroom.

Each of our first-floor restrooms have 4-5 stalls. Group tour and group visit reservations must be made at least 2 weeks in advance. To cancel or reschedule your tour, please call or email at least 2 business days in advance of your original tour date. Cancellations must be confirmed in advance of your original date in order to receive a refund for a pre-paid tour. No-call no-shows are not eligible for refunds; however, pre-paid fees may be applied as a credit to a future booking. Groups rescheduling after a no-call no-show must pay future invoices in advance.

The science that animated a political idea. Join us for the opening of ‘Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks,’ our explosive new exhibition celebrating America’s 250th birthday. The Institute’s museum education team partners with Philly Touch Tours to offer a more meaningful history of science experience.

How should we think about the lives of objects? This biography offers three paths to understanding an artifact from the 1700s. Join us for a special Stories of Science program celebrating the invention of the first paper match folder in 1892—the precursor to the modern matchbook—as part of the Philadelphia Historic District’s 52 Weeks of... Model Lifting a Styrofoam Log (1949)Science History Institute “It’s like fun is your method here,” marveled a scientist after a public program.The Science History Institute is a museum and library in Philadelphia, USA. We explain today’s science and technology through often playful, always compelling stories about the past and the future.

We specialize in stories that connect advances in science to changes in everyday life. Learn the chemistry and engineering that connects silicon-rich sand to Teddy Ruxpin and iPhones. Research in the life sciences has transformed biotechnology, medicine, and our sense of self. Learn about scientific leaders and the tradition of women in x-ray crystallography, including Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Rosalind Franklin, and Jenny Glusker, who used this instrument. It’s a Bakelizer—a machine used around 1909 to form Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic. Our reconstruction illustrates the role of chemical engineering in the making of the contemporary world.

Founded in 1982, the Science History Institute collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the lesser-known and sometimes overlooked stories from the history of science and technology. And we don’t just mean discoveries made in laboratories. We dive deep into the history of scientific successes and failures, with a focus on expanding knowledge and broadening our understanding of how science and society intersect. We tell the stories behind the science. Visit the Institute’s museum and library, listen to our podcasts, read our magazine and blog, attend our programs, and browse our digital collections. It’s all free so you can be free to discover the science in your life.

Jokes and Warnings on Scientific Instruments The endurance of a medical adventure book reveals changing anxieties about public health, from quackery to COVID The history of a familiar, useful, and troublesome object Historical re-creations reveal the working world of alchemists Discover the stories behind the science! Visit our free museum and take a journey through the weird and wonderful world of matter and materials.

You can also book a group tour or school visit with our experienced Gallery Guides; explore our digital exhibitions on Google Arts & Culture; or attend one of our many free programs, events, and... Our museum is free and open to the public Wednesday through Saturday. Our exhibitions explore the diverse and surprising histories behind the science that shapes our world. The Science History Institute produces a wide range of virtual and in-person events that are free and open to the public. Whether you prefer to read, watch, or listen, we have a wide variety of engaging and trustworthy educational resources for student assignments or research. Check out our Resources by Topic for an overview of what we offer, or choose a type of resource to explore.

Want to learn more about alchemy, the environment, or women in science? There’s a topic for that. Sign up to receive classroom resources and student skill-building exercises. Learn about the people behind some of the most significant achievements in the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences. Available 24/7, our Google Arts & Culture digital stories will take you into the archives, across our collections, and through history. Our stories reveal science’s role in a complicated and often strange world.

At Distillations, we tap into the work of historians and other researchers to produce articles, podcasts, and videos. Whether you enjoy watching, reading, or listening to intriguing stories about science’s past, we’ve got you covered. Distillations articles reveal the powerful and far-reaching influence of science’s past on our lives today. We do that by mining little-told histories and unearthing historical angles to contemporary topics. Distillations is the Science History Institute’s critically acclaimed flagship podcast. We take deep dives into stories that range from the serious to the eccentric, all to help listeners better understand our world.

The Disappearing Spoon podcast examines overlooked stories from our past, such as the dental superiority of hunter-gatherers, the sex lives of dinosaurs, and many more moments that never made the history books.

Up Up And Away Science History Institute

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