The Joseph Henry Lectures

For Joseph Henry, internationally-renowned physicist, leader of the American scientific community, professor at Princeton, and first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, societies were essential for the progress of science. Formal or informal, local or national, societies provided scientists the critical judgments and appreciation they needed. In helping to found the Philosophical Society of Washington, Henry attempted to make it the epitome of what a local scientific society should be.

In 1931 the Society inaugurated the Joseph Henry Lectures. They have been sponsored annually (except 1943) by the Society in honor of its first president.

Date	Description
May 12, 1961 30th Henry Lecture	New Developments in High Magnetic Field Research Francis Bitter Massachusetts Institute of Technology Transcript
May 11, 1962 31st Henry Lecture	The Theory of the Electron F. Rohrlich State University of Iowa Transcript
May 10, 1991 60th Henry Lecture	The Case for Ending Drug Prohibition and The Emerging Alternative Addiction Paradigm Joe G. Foreman Scientist and Former President of the Society Abstract
May 15, 1992 61st Henry Lecture	Is It Possible to Construct a Perception Machine? Gerald Edelman Rockefeller University
May 14, 1993 62nd Henry Lecture	Origin, Evolution, and Distribution of Life in the Universe Cyril Ponnamperuma Director, Laboratory of Chemical Evolution, University of Maryland Abstract
May 13, 1994 63rd Henry Lecture	Environmental Influences on Brain Structure and Function Marian Diamond Professor of Anatomy, Department of Integrative Biology, and Director, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley Abstract
May 12, 1995 64th Henry Lecture	Designer Brain: Receptor-Neurotransmitter Research, the Scientific and Social-Ethical Implications Richard M. Restak George Washington Medical School
May 3, 1996 65th Henry Lecture	How do Protein Molecules Self-Assemble? George D. Rose Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
May 2, 1997 66th Henry Lecture	Mars in Fact versus Fiction Donna Lee Shirley Jet Propulsion Laboratory
May 12, 1997 A Special Joseph Henry Lecture	“Frequent Interchange of Ideas and Appreciative Encouragement”: The Role of Scientific Societies in the Life of Joseph Henry Marc Rothenberg Curator, Joseph Henry Papers Project, Smithsonian Institution Abstract
May 8, 1998 67th Henry Lecture	What Hubble Didn't Know About the Universe Vera C. Rubin Carnegie Institution of Washington
May 7, 1999 68th Henry Lecture	Visualization of an Ion Channel by use of Crystallography Isabella Karle, Naval Research Laboratory Quantum Crystallography, a Tool for Enhancing Information from Crystallographic Data Jerome Karle, Naval Research Laboratory Abstract
May 12, 2000 69th Henry Lecture	Global Warming: Hot Talk, Cold Science S. Fred Singer President, Science and Environmental Policy Project Abstract
May 11, 2001 70th Henry Lecture	The Human Computer and the Birth of the Information Age David A. Grier Associate Professor, George Washington University Abstract | Transcript
May 17, 2002 71st Henry Lecture	The Cholesterol Myths Uffe Ravnskov Independent Researcher Abstract
May 16, 2003 72nd Henry Lecture	Biology and Humans in Space Baruch Blumberg 1976 Nobel Laureate in Medicine Abstract
May 28, 2004 73rd Henry Lecture	Oceans and Human Health A Symbiotic Relationship between People and the Sea Rita R. Colwell Retiring Director, National Science Foundation Abstract
May 13, 2005 74th Henry Lecture	Time, Einstein, and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe A Symbiotic Relationship between People and the Sea William Phillips Nobel Prize Winner Abstract
May 12, 2006 75th Henry Lecture	Latest Scientific Results from the Mars Exploration Rovers Jim Garvin Chief Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center Abstract
May 11, 2007 76th Henry Lecture	The Very First Light The True Inside Story of the Scientific Journey Back to the Dawn of the Universe John Mather, 2006 Nobel Laureate Abstract

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