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The oldest natural sciences institution in the Western Hemisphere, the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, was founded when the United States hugged the Atlantic coastline, and Philadelphia was the cultural, commercial, and scientific center of the new nation. Classic expeditions to explore the western wilderness were organized at the Academy. These explorers brought back new species of plants and animals, which were studied and catalogued; and which formed the foundation of the Academy's scientific collections, now consisting of more than 17,000,000 specimens. This collection documents the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia's expeditions across the globe from 1891 to 1977. The collection is rich in material, particularly regarding the Academy's expedition to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1969. There is some general information regarding expeditions, especially in regard to the Committee on Names, which is responsible for selecting offical names for special...(see more)

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