Danny Robb
@inverting-vision.bsky.social
Writing about the history of science, exploration, and technology. Interested in photography + robotics in planetary science, oceanography, cryosphere.
Regular contributor for JSTOR Daily. Work in Aeon, Atlas Obscura.
History Blog: invertingvision.com
Regular contributor for JSTOR Daily. Work in Aeon, Atlas Obscura.
History Blog: invertingvision.com
Pinned
“Mad About Geology”: Charles Darwin’s Origin Story - JSTOR Daily
At university and in the field, Darwin trained his scientific thinking as would a geologist, seeking causal explanations for observed natural phenomena.
daily.jstor.org
Darwin's geological training shaped his scientific identity. He took classes from professors on opposite sides of a major geological debate. One was dull, the other exciting-but he learned a lot from both, and from field excursions in Wales.
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
Reposted by Danny Robb
November 12, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Danny Robb
Among his many achievements Edmond Halley, who was born 8 November 1656, was the first to map the magnetic variation in the Atlantic #histsci
thonyc.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/m...
thonyc.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/m...
Magnetic Variations – X Mapping the variation
Over this series we have tracked the discovery of magnetic variation and the gradual realisation that it was a real phenomenon and not just a malfunction of badly made or adjusted compasses. &…
thonyc.wordpress.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Among his many achievements Edmond Halley, who was born 8 November 1656, was the first to map the magnetic variation in the Atlantic #histsci
thonyc.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/m...
thonyc.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/m...
Reposted by Danny Robb
My new article is up:
thespacereview.com/article/5093/1
thespacereview.com/article/5093/1
November 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
My new article is up:
thespacereview.com/article/5093/1
thespacereview.com/article/5093/1
![Comic. [two connected spacecraft hovering in space above the Earth] Houston, the view is superb. We can see the continents spread out below us, right where they’ve been since the Earth formed. [caption] I still can’t believe we developed spaceflight before we figured out that the continents moved.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreicp2ka5asjgkmgfdfj33vnjb5bbvk3vnyao6ju5kipxcdc23pqasm@jpeg)
Reposted by Danny Robb
Whether you like science or art or history or space travel, I promise this will be the best thing you read all week.
🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
How Lunar Photography Brought the Heavens Down to Earth (Gift Article)
No explorers ever traveled farther from home than the Apollo astronauts. As artists, they’re still underrated.
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Whether you like science or art or history or space travel, I promise this will be the best thing you read all week.
🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Danny Robb
The Erie Canal was completed 200 years ago today. It was a major achievement for the early US, and for New York in particular. But the canal meant different things to different people, and over time, its significance evolved.
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
The Erie Canal at 200 - JSTOR Daily
Finished in October 1825, the Erie Canal connected increasingly specialized regions, altering the economic landscape of the northeast United States.
daily.jstor.org
October 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The Erie Canal was completed 200 years ago today. It was a major achievement for the early US, and for New York in particular. But the canal meant different things to different people, and over time, its significance evolved.
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
The Erie Canal was completed 200 years ago today. It was a major achievement for the early US, and for New York in particular. But the canal meant different things to different people, and over time, its significance evolved.
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
The Erie Canal at 200 - JSTOR Daily
Finished in October 1825, the Erie Canal connected increasingly specialized regions, altering the economic landscape of the northeast United States.
daily.jstor.org
October 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The Erie Canal was completed 200 years ago today. It was a major achievement for the early US, and for New York in particular. But the canal meant different things to different people, and over time, its significance evolved.
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
🗃️
daily.jstor.org/the-erie-can...
Reposted by Danny Robb
On the left is a diagram from the same book published in 1794 in the quoted post below for its chapter on eclipses. On the right is the current diagram for the Wikipedia entry on eclipses. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it I suppose. 🔭
October 23, 2025 at 2:15 PM
On the left is a diagram from the same book published in 1794 in the quoted post below for its chapter on eclipses. On the right is the current diagram for the Wikipedia entry on eclipses. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it I suppose. 🔭
Reposted by Danny Robb
Darwin's geological training shaped his scientific identity. He took classes from professors on opposite sides of a major geological debate. One was dull, the other exciting-but he learned a lot from both, and from field excursions in Wales.
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
“Mad About Geology”: Charles Darwin’s Origin Story - JSTOR Daily
At university and in the field, Darwin trained his scientific thinking as would a geologist, seeking causal explanations for observed natural phenomena.
daily.jstor.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Darwin's geological training shaped his scientific identity. He took classes from professors on opposite sides of a major geological debate. One was dull, the other exciting-but he learned a lot from both, and from field excursions in Wales.
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
Darwin's geological training shaped his scientific identity. He took classes from professors on opposite sides of a major geological debate. One was dull, the other exciting-but he learned a lot from both, and from field excursions in Wales.
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
“Mad About Geology”: Charles Darwin’s Origin Story - JSTOR Daily
At university and in the field, Darwin trained his scientific thinking as would a geologist, seeking causal explanations for observed natural phenomena.
daily.jstor.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Darwin's geological training shaped his scientific identity. He took classes from professors on opposite sides of a major geological debate. One was dull, the other exciting-but he learned a lot from both, and from field excursions in Wales.
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
#Histsci 🗃️ #geology
daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
Reposted by Danny Robb
I have two articles in The Space Review this week. Here is one of them. thespacereview.com/article/5085/1
October 21, 2025 at 8:35 PM
I have two articles in The Space Review this week. Here is one of them. thespacereview.com/article/5085/1
Reposted by Danny Robb
When Charles Darwin joined the crew of the Beagle in 1832, one of their first stops was the island of St. Jago in Cape Verde. There, he confronted one of his first major scientific puzzles. https://bit.ly/3WjDAwl
“Mad About Geology”: Charles Darwin’s Origin Story - JSTOR Daily
At university and in the field, Darwin trained his scientific thinking as would a geologist, seeking causal explanations for observed natural phenomena.
bit.ly
October 21, 2025 at 7:58 PM
When Charles Darwin joined the crew of the Beagle in 1832, one of their first stops was the island of St. Jago in Cape Verde. There, he confronted one of his first major scientific puzzles. https://bit.ly/3WjDAwl
Reposted by Danny Robb
“Mad About Geology”: Charles Darwin’s Origin Story daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
“Mad About Geology”: Charles Darwin’s Origin Story - JSTOR Daily
At university and in the field, Darwin trained his scientific thinking as would a geologist, seeking causal explanations for observed natural phenomena.
daily.jstor.org
October 21, 2025 at 12:32 PM
“Mad About Geology”: Charles Darwin’s Origin Story daily.jstor.org/mad-about-ge...
Reposted by Danny Robb
Today is going to be a good day to watch Kīlauea. Watch the live stream here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqmp...
October 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Today is going to be a good day to watch Kīlauea. Watch the live stream here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqmp...
Reposted by Danny Robb
“It assumes that each planet rotates in a vortex of fluid matter, & that the Sun occupies the center, around which the other vortices revolve.”
A closer view of Descartes’ système de tourbillons. All of these models provided working descriptions of the universe to different degrees of accuracy 🔭
A closer view of Descartes’ système de tourbillons. All of these models provided working descriptions of the universe to different degrees of accuracy 🔭
October 11, 2025 at 4:05 PM
“It assumes that each planet rotates in a vortex of fluid matter, & that the Sun occupies the center, around which the other vortices revolve.”
A closer view of Descartes’ système de tourbillons. All of these models provided working descriptions of the universe to different degrees of accuracy 🔭
A closer view of Descartes’ système de tourbillons. All of these models provided working descriptions of the universe to different degrees of accuracy 🔭
Reposted by Danny Robb
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
Reposted by Danny Robb
Painters of the Hudson River School understood what was happening to North American forests in the nineteenth century, and they didn’t like it. https://bit.ly/42tM7Ag
The Art of Deforestation - JSTOR Daily
Landscape paintings show how quickly American forests changed in the early nineteenth century—and the mixed feelings people had about that change.
bit.ly
October 7, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Painters of the Hudson River School understood what was happening to North American forests in the nineteenth century, and they didn’t like it. https://bit.ly/42tM7Ag
Reposted by Danny Robb
#scuba
Today's article pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to writer @inverting-vision.bsky.social & @jstordaily.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
daily.jstor.org/arthur-c-cla...
Today's article pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to writer @inverting-vision.bsky.social & @jstordaily.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
daily.jstor.org/arthur-c-cla...
Arthur C. Clarke’s Scuba Adventures and Ocean Frontiers - JSTOR Daily
Clarke’s interest in oceanic exploration in the 1950s was, like his undersea fiction, often neglected by an audience focused on the race for outer space.
daily.jstor.org
October 6, 2025 at 1:04 PM
#scuba
Today's article pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to writer @inverting-vision.bsky.social & @jstordaily.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
daily.jstor.org/arthur-c-cla...
Today's article pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to writer @inverting-vision.bsky.social & @jstordaily.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
daily.jstor.org/arthur-c-cla...
Reposted by Danny Robb
We’re uncovering a remarkable treasure trove of scientific and historical data about the #WowSignal and the early days of #SETI. Your support can help us bring this history to light. #AreciboWow phl.upr.edu/wow/trip
October 7, 2025 at 2:10 PM
We’re uncovering a remarkable treasure trove of scientific and historical data about the #WowSignal and the early days of #SETI. Your support can help us bring this history to light. #AreciboWow phl.upr.edu/wow/trip
Reposted by Danny Robb
120 years ago, the Wright Brothers created a practical flying machine. Their test on October 5, 1905 may have been more significant, in some ways, than their 1903 Kitty Hawk flights. Today, you can visit the field in Ohio where it happened.
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
A Practical Machine: The Wright Brothers in Dayton - JSTOR Daily
Orville and Wilbur Wright wanted to create a practical machine—not a novelty or a gimmick—and they accomplished that at Ohio’s Huffman Prairie on October 5, 1905.
daily.jstor.org
October 3, 2025 at 3:55 PM
120 years ago, the Wright Brothers created a practical flying machine. Their test on October 5, 1905 may have been more significant, in some ways, than their 1903 Kitty Hawk flights. Today, you can visit the field in Ohio where it happened.
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
Reposted by Danny Robb
A Practical Machine: The Wright Brothers in Dayton daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
A Practical Machine: The Wright Brothers in Dayton - JSTOR Daily
Orville and Wilbur Wright wanted to create a practical machine—not a novelty or a gimmick—and they accomplished that at Ohio’s Huffman Prairie on October 5, 1905.
daily.jstor.org
October 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
A Practical Machine: The Wright Brothers in Dayton daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
120 years ago, the Wright Brothers created a practical flying machine. Their test on October 5, 1905 may have been more significant, in some ways, than their 1903 Kitty Hawk flights. Today, you can visit the field in Ohio where it happened.
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
A Practical Machine: The Wright Brothers in Dayton - JSTOR Daily
Orville and Wilbur Wright wanted to create a practical machine—not a novelty or a gimmick—and they accomplished that at Ohio’s Huffman Prairie on October 5, 1905.
daily.jstor.org
October 3, 2025 at 3:55 PM
120 years ago, the Wright Brothers created a practical flying machine. Their test on October 5, 1905 may have been more significant, in some ways, than their 1903 Kitty Hawk flights. Today, you can visit the field in Ohio where it happened.
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
#histSTM 🗃️ #aviation
daily.jstor.org/a-practical-...
Reposted by Danny Robb
Aristotle noticed that when bees returned to the hive, they shook or "danced" in front of a group. Millennia later, scientists debated whether it was a form of "language" amid shifts in scientific methods and philosophies in the 20th century.
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
The Bee Dance Debate - JSTOR Daily
Can insects communicate? In the middle of the twentieth century, scientists disagreed on whether bees could possess a “language” expressed through motion.
daily.jstor.org
October 2, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Aristotle noticed that when bees returned to the hive, they shook or "danced" in front of a group. Millennia later, scientists debated whether it was a form of "language" amid shifts in scientific methods and philosophies in the 20th century.
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
Aristotle noticed that when bees returned to the hive, they shook or "danced" in front of a group. Millennia later, scientists debated whether it was a form of "language" amid shifts in scientific methods and philosophies in the 20th century.
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
The Bee Dance Debate - JSTOR Daily
Can insects communicate? In the middle of the twentieth century, scientists disagreed on whether bees could possess a “language” expressed through motion.
daily.jstor.org
October 2, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Aristotle noticed that when bees returned to the hive, they shook or "danced" in front of a group. Millennia later, scientists debated whether it was a form of "language" amid shifts in scientific methods and philosophies in the 20th century.
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
#histsci 🗃️ #bees
daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
Reposted by Danny Robb
My former student wrote a history of the SOFIA airborne observatory...check out her work :)
www.nasa.gov/history/sofia/
www.nasa.gov/history/sofia/
SOFIA: A NASA History Office Report - NASA
This report by Lois R. Rosson is the first retrospective look at SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, since the mission’s conclusion in 2022.
www.nasa.gov
September 29, 2025 at 4:51 PM
My former student wrote a history of the SOFIA airborne observatory...check out her work :)
www.nasa.gov/history/sofia/
www.nasa.gov/history/sofia/