Our latest special exhibition, ‘Dear Harry…’ – Henry Moseley: A Scientist Lost to War, is now open and we are pleased to say that people are taking an enthusiastic interest in Moseley’s important story. The exhibition is part biography, part World War I centenary, and part history of science. It presents Harry Moseley intimately as a son, scientist, and soldier.
A great piece of coverage for the exhibition was on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, where our director Dr Silke Ackermann chatted with presenter John Humphrys about the impact of Moseley’s scientific work on the x-ray spectra of the elements, and the subsequent ordering of the Periodic Table, and the legacy of his death in Gallipoli, Turkey on 10 August 1915. She was joined by Professor Andy Parker, head of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University.
One of the questions raised by Moseley’s death was whether a scientist’s life is ‘too valuable’ to be lost on the battlefield, and if so whom should we send to war instead. As part of the Dear Harry… programme of events the Museum will host a debate in October under the heading ‘Too Valuable to Die?’, a phrase used at the time of Moseley’s death, and a question that will be discussed from different perspectives by a panel drawn from a range of backgrounds.
Watch out for more about the Dear Harry… exhibition on this blog and have a listen to the Today interviews using the player above.
Creating and curating a special exhibition - Inside MHS Oxford
[…] all museum staff came together in weekly meetings to discuss everything from visual identity to media relations to merchandise. The latter discussions resulted in a tasty bespoke product: the Periodic Taste of […]