The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will permanently close its Philadelphia museum to the public on Sunday, September 27, 2026. “For nearly 200 years, the museum has been a welcoming space, creating memories for generations of families, schoolchildren, nature lovers and scientists,” an announcement made to the public says. “The Academy is more, however, than the galleries and display areas. Our collections containing more than 19 million specimens and our critical scientific research must be prioritized.” [Read more…] about One of America’s Oldest Natural History Museums Closing
Academia
Medical History: Vaccination Science & The Transatlantic Bridge
Second President of the United States John Adams held the post of envoy to the Netherlands from 1780 to 1782. He secured the States General’s recognition of American independence in April 1782, the second country in the world to do so, after France; obtained a five million guilders loan (carrying an interest rate of five percent) from a consortium of Amsterdam bankers; and signed a “Treaty of Amity and Commerce” between the two nations. While his wife Abigail remained in America, he had brought his sons John Quincy and Charles with him, living in the heart of Amsterdam at Keizersgracht 529. [Read more…] about Medical History: Vaccination Science & The Transatlantic Bridge
The NYS Cultural Education Center Turns 50
Half a century ago, New York State opened the doors to the Cultural Education Center in Albany, creating a landmark public home where generations of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world could explore the history, culture, scholarship, and heritage that define the Empire State.
Opened on July 1, 1976, the Cultural Education Center has served for 50 years as the home of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education, which includes the New York State Museum, New York State Library, and New York State Archives. [Read more…] about The NYS Cultural Education Center Turns 50
Acclaimed Indigenous Historian Laurence Hauptman, 81
Dr. Laurence Hauptman, a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at SUNY New Paltz, has passed at the age of 81. He was the author, co-author, or co-editor of twenty-one books and numerous articles, mostly on the Indigenous peoples of North America. [Read more…] about Acclaimed Indigenous Historian Laurence Hauptman, 81
‘Strung Up’ Explains How White America Learned to Lynch Black Children
Strung Up: How White America Learned to Lynch Black Children (Beacon Press, 2026) examines how the lynching of Black children became not an aberration, but a normalized feature of American racial violence.
Drawing on meticulous archival research Strung Up traces how white supremacy trained itself socially, culturally, and psychologically to tolerate and ritualize the destruction of Black childhood, including the unborn. [Read more…] about ‘Strung Up’ Explains How White America Learned to Lynch Black Children
James Kirby Martin Book Prize Finalists Announced
The Fort Plain Museum and Historical Park has announced the finalists for the 2026 James Kirby Martin Book Prize.
The award honors the memory and scholarly contributions of the late historian James Kirby Martin, the Hugh Roy and Lilli Cranz Cullen University Professor of History at the University of Houston and a member of the Fort Plain Museum board. [Read more…] about James Kirby Martin Book Prize Finalists Announced
St. Lawrence University’s Adirondack Semester
A new episode of the ADK Talks podcast explores St. Lawrence University’s Adirondack Semester — an immersive, place-based academic program set in the Adirondack Park.
Each fall, a small group of students lives off-grid in a yurt village near Massawepie Lake, without phones or Wi-Fi, studying natural history, land use, and Adirondack communities through direct experience. [Read more…] about St. Lawrence University’s Adirondack Semester
Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
American Oversight and the American Historical Association have filed suit challenging a sweeping memorandum from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel that declared the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional and that President Donald Trump “need not further comply” with its requirements, effectively encouraging the president to violate federal law.
The lawsuit argues that the memo relies on virtually no judicial authority and defies binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent outright, representing what they say is “a radical attempt to nullify a law that has governed presidential records for nearly half a century.” [Read more…] about Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
Spectral Database Planned for Museum of Natural History Mineral Collection
![Beryl (/ˈbɛrəl/ BERR-əl) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6.[6] Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine.](https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Mineral-Beryl-e1774449180809.jpg)
Wiley, which calls itself “a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation and learning,” has announced a new collaborative project with the American Museum of Natural History to extend access to the Museum’s renowned mineral collection to scientists around the world.
This new project, a Raman spectral database, serves the museum’s mission to disseminate knowledge about the natural world “through scientific research and education.” [Read more…] about Spectral Database Planned for Museum of Natural History Mineral Collection
International State of Mark Twain Studies Conference
Established in 1989, the quadrennial International Conference on the State of Mark Twain Studies is the oldest and largest gathering of scholars interested in the field of Mark Twain Studies.
The conference consists of traditional paper sessions, a keynote address, a number of special presentations, and comradery with old and new acquaintances. The conference culminates in an evening picnic at Quarry Farm, one of the most important structures in the life of Mark Twain. [Read more…] about International State of Mark Twain Studies Conference
Carl George: Scientist, Adirondack Advocate & Poet
Carl George, Professor Emeritus at the Biology Department of Union College, died in December at age 95, leaving his wife Christine, and legions of friends at Union College, and around the world. [Read more…] about Carl George: Scientist, Adirondack Advocate & Poet
Non-Violent Resistance During the American Revolution
The Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park has announced the winner of their inaugural James Kirby Martin Book Prize, Jane E. Calvert’s Penman of the Founding: A Biography of John Dickinson (Oxford Univ. Press, 2024). The Prize is given in honor of Martin, an 18th century historian and museum supporter who died unexpectedly this year. Martin’s posthumously published final book, also on the American Revolution, has also just been released.
Quaker pacifist John Dickinson (1732-1808) of Pennsylvania and Delaware, one of the wealthiest men in the colonies, was an important early leader of the resistance to British rule before the outbreak of the American revolution and among the first to advocate civil disobedience as a form of protest. [Read more…] about Non-Violent Resistance During the American Revolution
A New Podcast Exploring College and Career Readiness
Students, teachers and employers seeking clarity in an increasingly complex world of pathways in education and the workplace can discover original insights in The Blueprint, a new podcast produced by Brilliant Pathways, a college- and career-readiness 30-year old nonprofit. [Read more…] about A New Podcast Exploring College and Career Readiness
Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, Thomas Nast & Chinese American History
Migration from Asia to the United States was minimal before the 1800s, but facing poverty and political instability large numbers of Chinese residents began looking a better life in the West from the 1840s onward.
Many would escape the Taiping Rebellion, a large-scale civil war that had started in 1850. Lasting for fourteen years, violence and persecution encompassed much of Southern China, pushing citizens away from their traditional homes. [Read more…] about Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, Thomas Nast & Chinese American History
Anti-Racist Educators to be Honored Monday in NYC
On Monday, September 29th, Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) will present its annual William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards to lifelong educator and former NY-16 Congressman, Jamaal Bowman, and anti-racist educator and activist, Jesse Hagopian.
The awards ceremony and reception will begin at 6 pm at Scandinavia House in New York City, and will also be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person. [Read more…] about Anti-Racist Educators to be Honored Monday in NYC
Carol Kammen: Like It Or Not, History Isn’t Rosy
The White House has issued complaints about the history on display in our national museums, complaining that it is too negative, that it portrays the past as a place of hurt.
Yet, I would argue that historians, those in the academic world, museum directors, and local historians have been doing their job — and doing it well. [Read more…] about Carol Kammen: Like It Or Not, History Isn’t Rosy
New York’s Enlightenment Legacy: Science and Social Mobility
The French Revolution abolished the privileges that were traditionally reserved to noblemen. Military careers were opened to all talent instead. [Read more…] about New York’s Enlightenment Legacy: Science and Social Mobility
A Lake George Battlefield Archeology Podcast
This week’s “Lake George Battlefield Moments” podcast features Skidmore College Anthropology Department Chair Professor Siobhan Hart discussing with the outcomes of the archaeological survey conducted last month at the Lake George Battlefield Park by her team of students and volunteers. There appear to be some tangible results of the exploration that are now under analysis. [Read more…] about A Lake George Battlefield Archeology Podcast
Fourth of July in 2026: America’s 250th Anniversary
In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, historians Lindsay M. Chervinsky, Ronald Angelo Johnson, and Kariann Akemi Yokota join host Liz Covart to answer questions about how historians are discussing the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding in 2026. [Read more…] about Fourth of July in 2026: America’s 250th Anniversary
Elizabeth Glover & The Founding of Harvard University Press
At the start of Elizabeth I’s reign in 1558, a desire was expressed that the role and position of the Church of England should be explained. As a consequence, a stream of devotional and exegetical publications designed for Protestant edification flooded the market. Printers gained a prominent place in the process.
From the outset women were active participants in the trade. They looked after the well-being of young apprentices in the shop and worked alongside men as printer’s devils and compositors. They managed the distribution of printed matter, the sale of stationery and kept the books. [Read more…] about Elizabeth Glover & The Founding of Harvard University Press