Past Updates

On the morning of May 19, 1780, an intense haze swept into New England. Along with it came panic and, in the case of Harvard Professor and Academy member Samuel Williams, scientific curiosity.

Amid intense international strife, Irving Janis sought to understand how multiple contingents of brilliant political operators had so confidently thrust the country into such catastrophes. His theorized cause: groupthink.

Singers Roland Hayes and Marian Anderson, elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1953 and 1957, respectively, were among its first Black members. They also joined what was then a surprisingly small group of members considered popular musicians. But Hayes and Anderson were quite used to cutting new paths by the time they submitted their acceptance letters.

Transcriptions of Observations on the Aurora Borealis from the Academy Archives