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!

Note: it may take a few seconds for tweets to load.

This month’s Photos of the Month features images related to six different episodes that will be featured in season one of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast. Can you guess what each episode will be about based on the images and descriptions that follow below? To find out if you were right, be sure to tune into Initial Conditions starting this July!

Episode 1

Rollo’s Experiments is a 19th century novel intended to teach about science. It’s one of the earliest examples of the use of juvenile literature, juvenile fiction in fact, being used for scientific popularization and education. The book starts off with Rollo wanting to figure out why the sun shines farther inside the barn in the winter, than in the summer. His friend Jonas says it’s because they want the sunlight more in the winter and Rollo says “I don’t believe the sun moves about in the heavens, to different places, only just to shine into barn doors.” So they decide to do an experiment to track the sun’s light.

The Niels Bohr Library & Archives is particularly interested in physics education, in all its forms, whether it’s more popular works like The Magic School Bus or classic physics textbooks. We collect broadly so we can trace not only how science itself has changed over time, but also how our understanding and learning about science has changed. Science popularizations are fun for librarians to collect because they’re written for us, as we’re not scientists, unless you really consider library science a true “science.” But these books were meant to spark curiosity and engage the reader; they don’t assume a base level of knowledge or use jargon.

The study of science popularizations is also fascinating for historians of science, Joanna Behrman, Assistant Public Historian at AIP says,

Because it offers a window into the value system of science. This can mean both how science "ought" to be done, but also what aspects of nature are worthy of study and who is worthy of studying them. Children's literature like Rollo's Experiments, which are not meant only for future scientists but all children whether or not they continue in science, can also offer insight into what value scientific knowledge holds for any individual and thus also for society as a whole. Does someone need to know some level of science to be a good citizen, for instance? Or does knowing the processes of science build intellectual abilities or good character?

 These are questions we’re still grappling with today.

“A genius.” “Very undisciplined.” “A beautiful craftsman.” “An aristocrat.” “My hero.”

Robert Williams Wood, often known simply as R. W. Wood, was many things to many people. A physicist, science fiction author, poet, and (it seems to me) a man who lived for drama, Wood spent most of his career in the physics department at Johns Hopkins University. In honor of National Poetry Month I want to take a dive into Wood’s life and his eclectic career.

Wood the Physicist

To celebrate 4.14, World Quantum Day, we'll learn about quantum physics from the experts that shaped the field (with special help from classic films like Mean Girls and When Harry Met Sally).