At 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 8, Dr. Josh Levy, a historian of science and technology at the Library of Congress’ manuscript division, will be speaking at Westminster College’s total solar eclipse watch party. The event will take place in the Dietz Sullivan Lecture Hall in the Hoyt Science Center. During his presentation, Levy will discuss the historical significance of solar eclipse expeditions and explore how each expedition, intertwined with imperial networks, shed light on the relationship between science and empire, as well as the human interactions that contribute to scientific knowledge.
Levy holds a Ph.D. in modern U.S. history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School. He brings valuable insights to the lecture and will focus on manuscripts from three different eclipses: the 1860 eclipse in northern Saskatchewan, the 1889 eclipse in coastal Angola, and the 1926 eclipse in Sumatra.
The event is open to the public and free to attend, with a reception following where attendees can enjoy light refreshments. The Department of History at Westminster College, in collaboration with the Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement, is proud to sponsor this enlightening event which promises to be an exciting exploration into one of nature’s most awe-inspiring events!
