History Blog
A Galaxy of Genius?
The Enduring Dream of Controlling Human Heredity
"What a galaxy of genius might we not create!"
—Francis Galton, 1865
"What a galaxy of genius might we not create!" burbled Francis Galton in 1865, exuberant about his conception of a voluntary human breeding program, to be informed by Darwinism. Subpar intelligence, he was convinced, lay at the root of poverty, promiscuity, disease, and antisocial behavior of all kinds.…
Photo by Hank Grasso
We're sad to announce the death of our long-time archivist, Barbara Faye Harkins. After retiring in March 2020, she was greatly missed by our patrons. Now she will be greatly missed by us.
A Galaxy of Genius?
The Enduring Dream of Controlling Human Heredity
"What a galaxy of genius might we not create!"
—Francis Galton, 1865
"What a galaxy of genius might we not create!" burbled Francis Galton in 1865, exuberant about his conception of a voluntary human breeding program, to be informed by Darwinism. Subpar intelligence, he was convinced, lay at the root of poverty, promiscuity, disease, and antisocial behavior of all kinds.…
Photo by Hank Grasso
We're sad to announce the death of our long-time archivist, Barbara Faye Harkins. After retiring in March 2020, she was greatly missed by our patrons. Now she will be greatly missed by us.Behind the Mask
COVID-19 has impacted the NIH community in many ways—from researching and providing information about the disease, to developing therapeutics and vaccines, to caring for patients in the Clinical Center, to re-configuring the ways we perform our jobs. To preserve this important time in NIH history, the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum is seeking reflections, documents, photographs, and objects about how those at NIH have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic.
Behind the MaskA Short History of the NIH
How NIH grew from a one-room laboratory to become the largest biomedical research agency in the world.
A Short HistoryOverview
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