TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary
Biographical Note
Scope and Contents
Restrictions
Index Terms
Administrative Information
Description of Series
Inventory
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A Guide to the Athelstan Spilhaus Papers, 1912-2003 (bulk
1930-1990)
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Creator: |
Spilhaus,
Athelstan |
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Title: |
Athelstan Spilhaus Papers |
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Dates: |
1912-2003 (bulk
1930-1990) |
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Abstract: |
Scientific and popular writings,
research reports, autobiographies, diaries, correspondence and transcripts
concerning 20th century oceanography, meteorology, cartography, science education,
environmentalism and resource management. |
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Accession No.: |
2004-191; 2005-183; 2009-031; 2010-029; 2010-168 |
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OCLC No.: |
128174282 |
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Extent: |
50 ft., 3 in. |
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Laguage: |
Materials are written in English. |
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Repository: |
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,The
University of Texas at Austin |
Scientist, administrator and educator, Athelstan Spilhaus (1911-1998) contributed to
oceanography, meteorology, and cartography; served as a dean at the University of
Minnesota; and promoted science education and science-based management of the
earth’s resources. Born in Rondebosch, South Africa, he held degrees in mechanical
engineering (University of Cape Town, 1931) and in aeronautical engineering
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1933).
In 1936 Spilhaus joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
Here he developed the bathythermograph, a device that made possible the measurement
of ocean depths and temperatures from a moving vessel. This invention established
his international reputation. From 1941 through 1945 he served in the United States
Army, teaching meteorology and traveling in Europe and China, where he supervised a
network of weather stations and met Chairman Mao Zedong.
In 1948 Spilhaus became dean of science and technology at the University of
Minnesota, a position he held until 1967. While there, he promoted the establishment
of a Sea Grant Universities program for oceanographic education and research. The
U.S. Congress formally established this program in 1966. In 1955 Spilhaus started
writing scripts for Our New Age, a science-based
newspaper comic strip, which ran until the early 1970s.
President John F. Kennedy in 1961 appointed Spilhaus U.S. Commissioner to the Seattle
World’s Fair, also known as the Century 21 Exposition. In 1967 he became president
of the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, but left two years later
after difficulties with the museum directors. During the 1970s, he served as
president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as a fellow of
the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, as consultant to the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and in other scientific and cultural
roles. An advocate for improvements in environmental science and urban development,
Spilhaus promoted the Minnesota Experimental City, a project envisioned as a venue
to test new urban designs in real-world conditions.
From 1977 to 1978 Spilhaus was a distinguished visiting professor of marine sciences
at the University of Texas. During the 1980s and 1990s Spilhaus designed new map
projections highlighting the earth’s oceans, as well as map-themed puzzles. During
his last years Spilhaus and his third wife Kathleen became known as authorities on
antique mechanical toys.
Return to the Table of Contents
The Athelstan Spilhaus Papers, 1912-2003 (bulk 1930-1990), document the scientific,
educational and cultural activities of Spilhaus, and illuminate the evolution of
American meteorology, oceanography, cartography and environmental science during the
20th century. Reports and scientific journal articles from the 1930s concern topics
in mechanical engineering, notably the evolution of air-powered instruments in
aircraft. An early photograph album (1929-1930) depicts Spilhaus’s life in South
Africa during his college days, and travel journals, a memoir and photographs from
1936 record his road journeys through Africa. Correspondence, publications and
research reports (1937-1955) document the development of the bathythermograph and
other advances in oceanography. Military orders, journals, reports, annotated maps,
news clippings, and photographs (1941-1946) record Spilhaus’s activities in northern
Europe and in China, and document conditions in those regions.
News clippings, magazine articles, correspondence, research reports and transcripts
cover Spilhaus’s time at the University of Minnesota and his support of the Sea
Grant Universities program, the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the Experimental Cities
project, public health, urban renewal, environmentalism and other topics of public
concern during the 1960s and 1970s. Drafts and annotated drafts of his unpublished
autobiography and other writings, oral history interviews, and materials assembled
for a biography during the 1990s recount Spilhaus’s story in his own words.
Furthermore, the collection contains books and articles by him with correspondence
related to their publication, maps and cartographic projections devised by Spilhaus,
prototypes of games and toys, and production drawings for the newspaper comic Our New Age. Materials also include lecture tapes and
transcripts, testimonials, CDs, and DVDs.
Return to the Table of Contents
Access Restrictions
Use of some audio material requires an appointment; please contact sound archivist
for an appointment.
Use Restrictions
Unrestricted use
Return to the Table of Contents
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Subjects (Persons) |
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Spilhaus, Athelstan, 1911-1998 |
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Subjects (Organizations) |
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Minnesota Experimental City Authority |
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University of Minnesota |
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution |
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Subjects |
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Bathythermograph |
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Century 21 Exposition (1962: Seattle, Wash.) |
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Mechanical toys |
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Meteorology |
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Meteorological instruments |
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Oceanography |
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Oceanographic instruments |
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World War, 1939-1945 -- China. |
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Places |
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Africa -- Description and travel |
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China -- Description and travel |
Return to the Table of Contents
Athelstan Spilhaus Papers, 1912-2003 (bulk 1930-1990), the Dolph Briscoe Center for
American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Processed by Edward Sevcik, June 2006.
Revised by Evan Hocker, February 2009, and Laurel Rozema, February 2010, July 2010.
Return to the Table of Contents
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Inventory |
box |
2M420 |
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Photographs |
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Personal, 1912, [circa 1940-circa
1980] |
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Astronomical, personal, 1939, [circa 1960-circa
1980] |
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Bathythermograph: [circa
1940] |
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Personal, assorted, [circa 1945-circa
1970] |
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Korea, [circa 1960] |
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United States Science Exhibit, Seattle World’s Fair,
1962 |
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Tall ships, 1976 |
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Toys and clock, [circa 1960],
1986 |
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Academic conferences, public relations, UNESCO [United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization],
personal, [circa 1960-circa 1975] |
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Solar Triangle sculpture at Rockefeller Center,
1972 |
box |
2M421 |
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Photographs 1911-1918 |
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China, [circa 1945] |
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Maps, scientific presentations, personal, [circa
1920-circa 1945] |
box |
2M422 |
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Maps and geomorphology: articles, news clippings, correspondence,
ephemera, [circa 1970-circa 1990] |
box |
2M423 |
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Diary and autobiographical writings, 1936, [circa
1940], [circa 1972] |
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Toys, inventions and maps: drafts, research files, news clippings
and correspondence, [circa 1960-circa
1995] |
box |
2M424 |
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Maps and plate tectonics: drafts, research files and
correspondence, [circa 1970-circa 1995] |
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United States Army travel documents, health reports and
itineraries, 1945-1946 |
box |
2M425 |
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Scientific articles: drafts, related correspondence and news
clippings, [circa 1930-circa 1980] |
box |
2M426 |
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General correspondence, 1980,
1989-2000 |
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United States National Fisheries and Aquarium Program,
correspondence and report, 1962-1965 |
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“The Next Industrial Revolution,” drafts,
1971 |
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Design for globe sundial, [circa 1970]
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box |
2M427 |
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Sundial patent: certificates, research reports and
correspondence, 1984-1986 |
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New York University: correspondence and news clippings,
1946 |
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Biographical materials: correspondence and news clippings,
1955-1975 |
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Bathythermograph: articles and news clippings,
1938-1987 |
box |
2M428 |
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China: flight records, news clippings, weather reports,
itineraries, diary, 1944-1945 |
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Obituaries, testimonial cards, memorial service guest book,
1998 |
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United States Science Exhibit at the Seattle World’s Fair
[Century 21 Exposition], news clippings and correspondence,
1962 |
box |
2M429 |
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United States Science Exhibit at the Seattle World’s Fair
[Century 21 Exposition], news clippings and correspondence,
1962 |
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German political leaflets, [circa
1945] |
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Nuclear bomb testing: news clippings,
1952 |
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University of Minnesota science education: news clippings and
report, 1951-1952 |
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Western Pacific meteorology: research reports, diary,
1945-1950 |
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Iceland, England, North Africa: meteorology reports, activity
reports, United States Army orders, duty diaries, correspondence,
1943-1946 |
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Experimental City Project: correspondence, news clippings and
articles, 1963-1975 |
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Innovative City Project, correspondence and articles,
1986-1987 |
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Meteorology: news clippings, magazine articles and
correspondence, 1938-1986 |
box |
2M430 |
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Correspondence, articles and news clippings,
1947-1990 |
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Autobiography: outline and chapters, with related correspondence,
1974 |
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Ocean stewardship, environment and business: articles and drafts,
1989-1990 |
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Franklin Institute: correspondence and news clippings,
1967-1968 |
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American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS],
correspondence and news clippings, 1969 |
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Sea Grant Universities: oral history transcripts, conference
proceedings, annotated drafts, news clippings and correspondence,
[circa 1965]-2003 |
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Backwards Land, by Athelstan Spilhaus, manuscript,
[circa 1960] |
box |
2M431 |
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Sea Grant Universities: correspondence, articles, news clippings,
drafts 1963-1972 |
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Palm Beach [Florida] schools: Spilhaus superintendancy, news
clippings and correspondence, 1970 |
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International Geophysical Year [IGY] and First Satellite
[Sputnik]: news clippings, articles, correspondence,
1955-1963 |
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Corporate correspondence and patent reports,
1955-1966 |
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Ecolibrium Project: correspondence and news clippings,
1972 |
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA],
correspondence and news clippings,
1974-1975 |
box |
2M432 |
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United States Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] report on
Athelstan Spilhaus, 1961-1966 |
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Escher designs: correspondence and drafts,
1986 |
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Sea Grant Universities: testimony before United States Senate
Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, with related correspondence and
news clippings, 1966 |
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Pollution, science education, Eco-Fair: news clippings,
1970-1990 |
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Expense reports, itineraries, testimonials, proceedings,
interviews and news articles, 1970-1990 |
box |
2M433 |
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South Africa: news clippings,
1947 |
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Biographical and Genealogical reports, articles, clippings and
correspondence, [circa 1940]-1987 |
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University of Minnesota: news clippings and correspondence,
1965-1968 |
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Lectures and speeches: notes and drafts,
1960-1976 |
box |
2M434 |
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University of Minnesota: news clippings and correspondence,
1950-1960 |
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Correspondence, drafts and news clippings,
1980-1990 |
box |
2M435 |
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Articles about Spilhaus, [circa 1970-circa
1990] |
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Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars: correspondence,
1971-1975 |
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Scientific institutions and societies: correspondence,
1971-1985 |
box |
2M436 |
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Master’s thesis on air driven gyroscopic instruments,
1933 |
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Activity and expense reports, correspondence,
1972-1976 |
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Oceanography, and marine conservation: drafts, correspondence,
articles and news clippings, [circa 1970-circa
1990] |
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Pre-prints of “Our New Age” newspaper comic,
1965-1971 |
box |
2M437 |
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Scientific articles: drafts and related correspondence,
[circa 1930-circa 1975] |
box |
2M438 |
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Spilhaus oral history: transcripts and draft transcripts,
1976 |
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Articles about Spilhaus,
1950-1960 |
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General correspondence,
1970-1980 |
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University of Minnesota: correspondence and news clippings,
1970-1980 |
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Bathythermograph: reports and correspondence,
1937-1943 |
box |
2M439 |
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Bathythermograph: reports and correspondence,
1950-1960 |
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Spilly, by Athelstan
Spilhaus[Autobiography], 1977 |
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Diaries, and autobiographical manuscripts, 1936-[circa
1950] |
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Drafts of published and unpublished magazine articles,
1960-1980 |
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United Nations Educational, Scientifica and Cultural Organization
[UNESCO]: correspondence and drafts,
1955-1957 |
box |
2M440 |
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“Performance of an Airplane at Constant Altitude Angle and
Constant Throttle Setting:” report and correspondence,
1934 |
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Articles and lectures: drafts,
1956-1980 |
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Jobs: news clippings, 1950-1975 |
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Weather control proposal: correspondence, 1945,
1994-1995 |
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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
[UNESCO]: correspondence and drafts,
1955-1957 |
box |
2M441 |
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Articles and lectures: drafts,
1960-1980 |
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Spilly, by Athelstan Spilhaus
[Autobiography], 1977 |
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Nauticus, the National Maritime Center: proposal and
correspondence, 1989 |
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Sea Education Association [S.E.A.]: proposal and correspondence,
1976-1977 |
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Halley’s Comet: journal articles, research materials and drafts,
1984 |
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Upper Atmosphere Ozone measuring program: report,
1939-1941 |
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Spilhaus Space Clock: production drawings, templates and patent
certificate, 1966 and [circa 1966] |
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Iceland, England, North Africa: meteorology reports, activity
reports, United States Army orders, duty diaries, correspondence,
1943-1946 |
box |
2M442 |
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Books and publications credited to Athelstan Spilhaus:
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Atlas of the World: Geophysical
Boundaries, 1991 |
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Grandfather’s Tool Town, 1989 |
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Harmony of Man’s Industry and Living
Space, 1973 |
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Mechanical Toys: How Old Toys
Work, 1989 |
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Meteorological Instruments (3rd
edition), 1953 |
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The Ocean Laboratory, 1967 |
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The Puzzle of the Plates: Spilhaus
Repeating World Map, 1985 |
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Satellite of the Sun: the science of
the earth and its surroundings, 1958, 1964 |
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Satellite Del Sole, (Italian
translation by G. C. Chiappei),
1959 |
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Turn to the Sea, 1959, 1961, 1962 |
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Weathercraft: How to Make and Operate
your Own Weather System, 1951 |
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Workbook in Meterology, 1942 |
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Books and publications containing work by Athelstan Spilhaus:
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Baily, Matilda and Ullin Leavell, A
World to Discover, 1963 |
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Bartell, Joyce J., ed., The Yankee
Mariner & Sea Power: America’s Challenge of Ocean Space, 1981 |
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California Institute of Technology, The
Next Ninety Years: Proceedings of a conference held at the
California Institute of Technology, March, 1967, 1967 |
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Committee on Pollution, National Academy of Sciences, Waste Management and Control, 1966 |
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Gerwick, Ben C., editor, Arctic Ocean
Engineering for the 21st Century: Proceedings of the first
Spilhaus Symposium, 1985 |
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Guy, Richard K. and Robert E. Woodrow, eds., The Lighter Side of Mathematics: Proceedings of
the Eugene Strens Memorial Conference on Recreational
Mathematics and its History, 1994 |
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Leydet, Francois (ed.), Tomorrow’s
Wilderness, 1963 |
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Panel on Science and Technology, Proceedings before the
Committee on Science and Astronautics, United States House of
Representatives, Ninety-First Congress, 1970 |
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Rozwenc, Edwin C., et al., The Restless
Americans: The Challenge of Change in American History, 1972 |
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Sheffield, Charles, Marcelo Alonso and Morton A. Kaplan,
The World of 2044: Technological
Development and the Future of Society, 1994 |
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Singer, S. Fred (ed.), The Ocean in
Human Affairs, 1990 |
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United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Science Exhibit: Seattle World’s Fair, final report, 1962 |
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Books by others, retained with the collection |
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Briggs, Peter, Men in the Sea, 1968 |
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Cohn, Victor, 1999: Our Hopeful Future, 1956 |
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Official Guide Book: Seattle World’s
Fair, 1962 |
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Spilhaus, M. Whiting, South Africa in
the Making: 1652-1806, 1966 |
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Villee, Jr., Claude A., Absolute Values
and the New Cultural Revolution: commemorative volume of the
thirteenth international conference on the unity of the
sciences, 1985 |
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Carter III, Samuel, Kingdom of the
Tides, 1966 |
box |
2M443 |
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Journal articles and reprints,
1931-1970 |
box |
2M444 |
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New York University Constant Level Balloon Project: report and
news clippings, 1946-1950 |
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Journal articles and reprints,
1961-1993 |
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Sea Grant Universities: journal articles, news clippings and
reports, 1965-1985 |
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Seminar on science and the news: transcript,
1960 |
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Interviews and speeches: transcripts and event programs,
1950-1977 |
box |
2M445 |
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Meteorological instruments and toys: patent records,
correspondence, 1938-1990 |
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Biographical summaries: articles and testimonials,
1961-1970 |
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Experimental City Project: journal articles, news clippings and
reports, 1967-1969 |
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Assorted news clippings,
1959-1994 |
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Desk calendars and day planners,
1966-1997 |
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Pan Geo, Incorporated: certificates, minutes, correspondence,
1984-1990 |
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Meteorological instruments and toys: patent records,
correspondence, 1938-1990 |
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Biographical summaries: articles and testimonials,
1961-1970 |
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Experimental City Project: journal articles, news clippings and
reports, 1967-1969 |
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Assorted news clippings,
1959-1994 |
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Desk calendars and day planners,
1966-1997 |
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Pan Geo, Incorporated: certificates, minutes, correspondence,
1984-1990 |
box |
2M446 |
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United States Army meteorology: reports, news clippings and
correspondence, 1942-1949 |
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Patent research reports, articles, drafts and correspondence,
1942, 1953-1981 |
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Mechanical Toys: publication
correspondence, 1992 |
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Mechanical toys and games: articles, drafts and printed
materials, 1981-1990 |
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Certificates of achievement and appreciation,
1912-1991 |
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Biographical materials collected for Athelstan Spilhaus: a Man of Ideas, [circa 1940-circa 1990] |
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Speeches: transcripts and drafts,
1960-1976 |
box |
2M447 |
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Newspapers and news clippings, [circa 1950-circa
1975] |
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Pre-prints for “Our New Age” newspaper comic,
1965-1971 |
box |
2M448 |
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General correspondence, [circa 1940-circa
1980] |
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Reports and news clippings,
1945-1947 |
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Geography game cards and puzzle, 1987 and [circa
1987] |
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Spilhaus, Athelstan, and Kathleen Spilhaus, Mechanical Toys: How Old Toys Work, 1989 |
box |
2.325/D48 |
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Correspondence, notes, and articles exchanged between Spilhaus
and Roger Goldsmith of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Primarily
relating to the study of mapping and representing the earth's features,
particularly the continents and oceans. |
box |
3S32a |
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Photographs, personal and scientific,
1903-1980 |
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Photographs, bathythermograph, [circa
1950] |
box |
3S105b |
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Photographs, negatives [restricted],
1940-1980 |
box |
3S131 |
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Oversized Materials |
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Photographs, 1930-1933, [circa 1950],
1972 |
box |
2.116/1428 |
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Time-zone maps of the world, [circa
1960] |
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News clippings, certificates of appreciation and achievement,
magazines, printed materials, [circa 1950-circa
1980] |
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Parisian World’s Fair [of 1900] photo book, magazines,
1900, 1945-1973 |
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Map-theme jigsaw and toys, [circa
1985] |
box |
2.116/1429 |
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China, the Philippines and South Asia: military maps, weather
maps, 1945 |
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China and the world: production drawings for maps, news
articles, [circa 1980] |
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Production drawings for various maps, 1985-[circa
1995] |
box |
2.116/1430 |
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“American Geophysical Union [AGU]’s 75th Anniversary Triptych
of the World:” production drawings and paste-ups,
1989 |
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“The Geocycle:” production drawings, maps, 1989 and
[circa 1989] |
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Production drawings for various maps, 1995 and
[circa 1995] |
box |
2.116/1431 |
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“Our New Age” newspaper comic: production drawings,
1965-1968 |
box |
2.116/1432 |
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Our New Age” newspaper comic: production drawings,
1969-1971 |
box |
2.325/D37c |
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Production drawings and tracing sheets for maps,
[circa 1985] |
box |
2X3c |
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Audiocassette |
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Speeches, lectures and interviews, 1970-1976,
1991 |
box |
2X4a |
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Reel-to-Reel audiotapes |
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Speeches, lectures and news programs, 1962-[circa
1976] |
box |
2X4b |
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Speeches, lectures and news programs, 1962-[circa
1976] |
box |
2.325/F265 |
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VHS videotape: |
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"Cape to Cairo, 1936: An Interview with Athelstan Spilhaus" |
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[2010-029]: |
box |
4Y50 |
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Compact discs: |
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"Athelstan Spilhaus Manuscript,
© Louise S. O’Connor" |
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"Spilhaus Photos Mao
Camp" |
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DVD: |
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"An Interview with Athelstan
Spilhaus, CAPE to CAIRO 1936" |
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[2010-168]: |
box |
2.325/A6 |
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Photograph album from college years in South Africa: trip on
steam ship off the coast, sand yacht racing at Muizenberg, life at
the University of Cape Town, sailing, and automobile travel near
East London, 1929-1930 |
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Hand-painted image of “Spilhaus Lighthouse,” depicting the
concepts of higher education, by Jon M. Beberg, [ca.
1950s] |
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Newprint photo using fisheye lens,
undated |
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