Posts Tagged ‘scientific correspondence’
Asa Gray: The Birth of American Botany’s Greatest Voice
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1810 On this day, Asa Gray (1810-1888) was born. He was a figure who would become America’s preeminent botanist and one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century. Born…
Read MoreDavid Hosack, Thomas Jefferson, and the Botanical Promise of Lewis & Clark
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 10, 1806 Dearest readers, On this day, David Hosack—the celebrated American botanist, physician, and founder of Manhattan’s Elgin Botanic Garden—wrote from New York to Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. His heartfelt letter, composed…
Read MoreAsa Gray: Pioneering American Botanist, Darwin’s Confidant, and Defender of Evolution
For Team Darwin November 18, 1810 Today is the birthday of one of the leading American botanists of his time and a member of Team Darwin, Asa Gray, who was born on this day in 1810. In 1857, Asa Gray received a confidential letter from Charles Darwin. In the letter, Darwin confided: “I will enclose…
Read MoreAsa GrayAsa Gray and Charles Darwin: The Confidential Letter That Laid the Groundwork for Evolution
A Confidential Concept Today, in 1857, Harvard botanist Asa Gray received a confidential letter from Charles Darwin. In the letter, Darwin wrote: “I will enclose the briefest abstract of my notions on the means by which nature makes her species…I ask you not to mention my doctrine.” Two years later, Darwin revealed his concept of…
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