Joseph Henry Notebook, Sound, Ear Trumpets, Light Houses, 1866

Among other activities during his twentieth year as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Joseph Henry continued to pursue his various scientific interests. This 1866 pocket notebook contains his notes on sound, ear trumpets, engines, and light houses. Many of these notes relate to Partridge Island, Canada, and the light house, buoys, and fog signals there. It also contains diagrams and measurements pertinent to these fields of study. On the last page and back cover, upside-down, are measurements for classifying wind gusts, in relation to velocity. Please help us transcribe this noteable scientist's observations, making them easier for other scholars and researchers to find and analyze in their own research. Joseph Henry (1797–1878) was the most noted scientist in the United States when he was selected to serve as the first Secretary of the new Smithsonian Institution in 1846. As its director for the next thirty-one years, Henry profoundly influenced the future of American science. In keeping with Henry's commitment to basic research, the Smithsonian provided essential institutional support for coordinating and funding research, publishing original studies, and facilitating communication among scientists in the United States and abroad.