Scientific History Archives

The Walking Botanist: Celebrating Charles Wright

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 29, 1811 Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles Wright born on this day in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Wright embodied the spirit of botanical exploration in early America, becoming one of the most…

The Lichen Lady: Annie Lorrain Smith’s Scientific Revolution

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1854 Today we also celebrate the birth of the remarkable Annie Lorrain Smith, and oh my dears, what a story she has to tell us about persistence in both gardens and…

The Gift That Changed Science: When Henslow Sent Darwin Around the World

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 12, 1831 Dearest readers and garden enthusiasts, gather round for I have the most delicious morsel of scientific history to share with you today! On this day, a most pivotal exchange took…

America’s First Bug Whisperer: The Birth of Thomas Say

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 27, 1787 On this day, the naturalist Thomas Say drew his first breath in this world – a man destined to revolutionize how Americans understood the crawling, buzzing creatures that shared their…

The Curious Dance of Robert Brown: Friend Botanist, Particle Observer, and Fortunate

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 10, 1858 Darlings, it is with a mixture of scientific intrigue and gardening gossip that we remember the passing of one Robert Brown, Scottish botanist extraordinaire, who has departed this earthly garden…