author
Robert P. Multhauf
1919–2004
A pioneering historian of science, he helped shape how the Smithsonian interpreted technology and chemistry for the public. His books made big scientific stories feel grounded, human, and surprisingly readable.
3 Audiobooks
Development of Gravity Pendulums in the 19th Century Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Papers 34-44 On Science and Technology, Smithsonian Institution, 1966
by Victor F. (Victor Fritz) Lenzen, Robert P. Multhauf
Mine Pumping in Agricola's Time and Later
by Robert P. Multhauf
The Introduction of Self-Registering Meteorological Instruments
by Robert P. Multhauf
About the author
Born in 1919, he became one of the Smithsonian Institution’s key historians of science and is often noted as the first PhD-trained historian to work there. After studying at Iowa State University and earning his graduate degrees at the University of California, Berkeley, he joined the Smithsonian in 1954 and went on to serve as curator, head curator, and later director of the Museum of History and Technology.
His scholarship centered on the history of chemistry and related sciences. Among his best-known books are Origins of Chemistry and Neptune’s Gift: A History of Common Salt, works remembered for combining careful research with an approachable style.
He remained an important figure in the field well beyond his museum leadership, and professional societies recognized his influence with major honors, including the Dexter Award and the Leonardo da Vinci Medal. He died in 2004.