Wind, war and weathermen
How a Swedish bon vivant let MIT introduce modern meteorology to America — just in time to help the Allies win World War II.
The house of the day after tomorrow
A 1948 solar house designed by women stole the show at a 1950 symposium.
The birth of electrical engineering
The creation of the first electrical-engineering curriculum may have said as much about MIT’s educational philosophy as it did about the pace of innovation.
When the butterfly effect took flight
Half a century ago, Edward Lorenz SM '43, ScD '48, overthrew the idea of the clockwork universe with his ground-breaking research on chaos. Now MIT professors are working to establish a climate research center in his name.
I'm still here
World-renowned architect I. M. Pei '40 — whose work can be seen across campus — is still designing buildings in Europe, the Far East and the Middle East, following the sun and an inner light.
A difference maker
Vannevar Bush PhD ’16, a unique figure in American history, transformed his country’s scientific establishment during its wartime hour of need.
Going head to head
Mechanical-engineering competition set the stage for a variety of competitive classes and events at MIT and elsewhere.
A foundation for building
How MIT’s first African-American graduate, Robert Taylor, became a prominent architect and brought the MIT philosophy across regional and racial barriers.
A life filled with firsts
Ellen Swallow Richards, MIT’s first female graduate and faculty member, opened the door for women in science, and founded ecology and home economics along the way.
Prodigy of probability
Norbert Wiener gained fame as the father of cybernetics, but his earlier work on statistical descriptions of complex systems may prove more important.
Canned, good
More than 100 years ago, 2 pioneering scientists figured out how to keep canned food safe.