What was science like in America 250 years ago?
Summary
Host Ira Flatow and historian Dr. Robert Allison explore the vital role of science in America’s founding, celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary. They discuss Benjamin Franklin’s electrical experiments, John Winthrop’s earthquake analysis, and Cotton Mather’s advocacy for smallpox inoculation. The episode highlights how these "natural philosophers" viewed scientific inquiry and democratic governance as interconnected experiments in free thinking.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and show introduction
Science in the American Revolution and Ben Franklin
Franklin's electrical experiments and European fame
Natural philosophers, tinkerers, and Jefferson's inventions
Data collection: Earthquakes and the Transit of Venus
Cotton Mather and the smallpox inoculation controversy
Religion, science, and European scientific debates
The Constitution as a political experiment and conclusion
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