Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

This past summer, I set out on a mission with the Center for History of Physics (CHP) and Niels Bohr Library & Archives (NBLA) to highlight two particular underrepresented female voices in physics: Katherine Clerk Maxwell and Émilie du Châtelet. Though both impressive women share the same fate of being remembered most because of the men around them rather than for the merits of their own accomplishments, the research processes to learn more about each of them were notably different.

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

I’ve always associated the saying “dog days of summer” with panting canines laying in the hot sun during the warmest, most humid months of the year. As it turns out, the saying’s origin is rooted in mythology and early astronomy.

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

The Solvay Councils were landmark events in the modern history of physics. In 2021, we posted an interview with Jeffrey Orens, author of The Soul of Genius, which discusses early Solvay Councils. We are pleased to offer another view on the topic.

The following is an essay by Franklin Lambert, one of the two authors of Einstein’s Witches’ Sabbath and the Early Solvay Councils: The Untold Story, which was translated into English just last year. The title was inspired by Einstein’s famous declaration of having to interrupt his work “to attend a Witches’ sabbath in Brussels,” which appears in a letter to his friend Michele Besso. This book is the result of more than ten years of archival research, conducted in Brussels, Leiden, Haarlem, and Paris. Below is a summary of the book written by Professor Lambert, followed by a Q&A about his research for the book.

June 30 is Asteroid Day. The date is the anniversary of the 1908 Tunguska event, when a still-unexplained object exploded over Siberia, creating the largest impact in recorded history. For that reason, the day is mostly dedicated to the dangers of asteroids and meteors, and to promoting research to avoid catastrophic events. But the day is also about the opportunities that come with asteroids and meteors. For my first Photos of the Month article, I decided to look into our own collections and see what we’ve learned from these objects and their impacts.

Happy June and Happy Pride Month! It is no secret that we love podcasts here at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives, and we compiled some of our favorite podcasts featuring people who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community in a tweet thread. Here is our tweet thread of podcast recommendations so you, our Ex Libris Universum readers can enjoy as well!

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