Records of the American Chemical Society Division of the History of Chemistry

The Division of the History of Chemistry (HIST) is a currently active division of the American Chemical Society. Its origins date back to 1920, when Edgar Fahs Smith and Charles Albert Browne discussed the possibility of establishing an ACS section pertaining to the history of chemistry. In 1921, at an American Chemical Society Council meeting, Smith and Browne presided over an informal meeting, where several of their ACS colleagues expressed interest in forming such a section. The Section of History of Chemistry was formally established in 1922 with Charles Albert Browne serving as its first chairman. In 1927, the Section of History of Chemistry was granted divisional status and renamed the Division of the History of Chemistry.

The Division of the History Chemistry currently seeks to advance the knowledge and appreciation of the history of the chemical sciences among chemists, students, historians of science, and the general public. Over the course of its existence, the division has sponsored symposia and workshops. The division also sponsors several awards, including the HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry and the Paul R. Jones Outstanding Paper Award. It also publishes the journal Bulletin for the History of Chemistry.

Sources

American Chemical Society Division of the History of Chemistry Website - http://acshist.scs.illinois.edu Browne, Charles Albert and Mary Elvira Weeks, A History of the American Chemical Society, Seventy-Five Eventful Years, Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 1952.

Records of the American Chemical Society Division of the History of Chemistry, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.