#on this day in science history

[teachersource]

Nichelle Nichols was born on December 28, 1932. An American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and its film sequels. Nichols’ portrayal of Uhura was groundbreaking for African American actresses on American television. From 1977 until 2015, Nichols volunteered her time to promote NASA’s programs and recruit diverse astronauts, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts. When she considered leaving Star Trek, Martin Luther King, Jr. asked her to stay, citing her influence on black women and children who could see themselves reflected on television as equals. Former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison has cited Nichols’ role of Lieutenant Uhura as her inspiration for wanting to become an astronaut .

[endusviolence]

Rowling isn't denying holocaust. She just pointed out that burning of transgender health books is a lie as that form of cosmetic surgery didn't exist. But of course you knew that already, didn't you?

I was thinking I'd probably see one of you! You're wrong :) Let's review the history a bit, shall we?

In this case, what we're talking about is the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, or in English, The Institute of Sexology. This Institute was founded and headed by a gay Jewish sexologist named Magnus Hirschfeld. It was founded in July of 1919 as the first sexology research clinic in the world, and was run as a private, non-profit clinic. Hirschfeld and the researchers who worked there would give out consultations, medical advice, and even treatments for free to their poorer clientele, as well as give thousands of lectures and build a unique library full of books on gender, sexuality, and eroticism. Of course, being a gay man, Hirschfeld focused a lot on the gay community and proving that homosexuality was natural and could not be "cured".

Hirschfeld was unique in his time because he believed that nobody's gender was either one or the other. Rather, he contended that everyone is a mixture of both male and female, with every individual having their own unique mix of traits.

This leads into the Institute's work with transgender patients. Hirschfeld was actually the one to coin the term "transsexual" in 1923, though this word didn't become popular phrasing until 30 years later when Harry Benjamin began expanding his research (I'll just be shortening it to trans for this brief overview.) For the Institute, their revolutionary work with gay men eventually began to attract other members of the LGBTA+, including of course trans people.

Contrary to what Anon says, sex reassignment surgery was first tested in 1912. It'd already being used on humans throughout Europe during the 1920's by the time a doctor at the Institute named Ludwig Levy-Lenz began performing it on patients in 1931. Hirschfeld was at first opposed, but he came around quickly because it lowered the rate of suicide among their trans patients. Not only was reassignment performed at the Institute, but both facial feminization and facial masculization surgery were also done.

The Institute employed some of these patients, gave them therapy to help with other issues, even gave some of the mentioned surgeries for free to this who could not afford it! They spoke out on their behalf to the public, even getting Berlin police to help them create "transvestite passes" to allow people to dress however they wanted without the threat of being arrested. They worked together to fight the law, including trying to strike down Paragraph 175, which made it illegal to be homosexual. The picture below is from their holiday party, Magnus Hirschfeld being the gentleman on the right with the fabulous mustache. Many of the other people in this photo are transgender.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of a group of people. Some are smiling at the camera, others have serious expressions. Either way, they all seem to be happy. On the right side, an older gentleman in glasses- Magnus Hirschfeld- is sitting. He has short hair and a bushy mustache. He is resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His other hand is being held by a person to his left. Another person to his right is holding his shoulder.]

There was always push back against the Institute, especially from conservatives who saw all of this as a bad thing. But conservatism can't stop progress without destroying it. They weren't willing to go that far for a good while. It all ended in March of 1933, when a new Chancellor was elected. The Nazis did not like homosexuals for several reasons. Chief among them, we break the boundaries of "normal" society. Shortly after the election, on May 6th, the book burnings began. The Jewish, gay, and obviously liberal Magnus Hirschfeld and his library of boundary-breaking literature was one of the very first targets. Thankfully, Hirschfeld was spared by virtue of being in Paris at the time (he would die in 1935, before the Nazis were able to invade France). His library wasn't so lucky.

This famous picture of the book burnings was taken after the Institute of Sexology had been raided. That's their books. Literature on so much about sexuality, eroticism, and gender, yes including their new work on trans people. This is the trans community's Alexandria. We're incredibly lucky that enough of it survived for Harry Benjamin and everyone who came after him was able to build on the Institute's work.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of the May Nazi book burning of the Institute of Sexology's library. A soldier, back facing the camera, is throwing a stack of books into the fire. In the background of the right side, a crowd is watching.]

As the Holocaust went on, the homosexuals of Germany became a targeted group. This did include transgender people, no matter what you say. To deny this reality is Holocaust denial. JK Rowling and everyone else who tries to pretend like this isn't reality is participating in that evil. You're agreeing with the Nazis.

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you?

Edit: Added image IDs. I apologize to those using screen readers for forgetting them. Please reblog this version instead.

[humanoidhistory]

Jupiter, observed by Voyager 1 on March 1, 1979.

[amnhnyc]

Have you ever seen a pink grasshopper? Though the meadow grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) is typically distinguished by its green and brown coloration, a genetic mutation called erythrism leaves some individuals looking pretty in pink! Erythrism is the overproduction of red pigment. While these rare insects are beautiful to look at, pink grasshoppers are hindered by their vivid coloring because it makes hiding from predators much more difficult.

Photo: Back from the Brink, CC BY-NC 2.0, flickr (Meadow grasshopper nymph pictured)

[brandyschillace]

THE BOOK IS A GO!

Transgender History out 2025

Good morning—GOOD NEWS! Going on 2 years ago, I published my article in Scientific American about #transgenger + #hormone history 🗃️🧪🏳️‍⚧️. I finished the book in Oct, and my editor just wrote to say she loves it and it will publish next winter!

This book almost didn’t happen. It was so hard to write. It *hurt* to write. Watching the news and reading history, it felt the same—rise of fascism and attacks on minorities and LGBTQ. But it’s done, it is written.

THE INTERMEDIARIES tells the story of that science—itself often strange and remarkable—as well as the man, his band of revolutionaries, and the Institute for Sexual Science, both center of the homosexual and trans community and base of operations for the first LGBTQ rights movement of the 20th century.

Sexual and gender nonconformists, what Hirschfeld called the intermediaries, had a right to live, a right to thrive. They also had a right to joy. Science would lead the way, but this history unfolds as an interwar thriller—patients and physicians risking their lives to be seen and heard even as Hitler began his rise to power. They faced abuse, blackmail, and political machinations; they responded with secret publishing campaigns, leaflet drops, pro-homosexual propaganda, and alignments with rebel factions of Berlin’s literati. It’s a story about pioneers. And about hope.

And it all started here:

[lindahall]

J.L.B. Smith – Scientist of the Day

James Leonard Brierley Smith, a South African ichthyologist usually referred to as J. L.B. Smith, was born Sep. 26, 1897.

read more...

[moonage-nightterrors]

fact: the people of tumblr are nearly all nerds in some way shape or form

observation: despite it being pi day and not in fact the ides of march, ides of march is trending #1 and pi day is trending #9

hypothesis: the people of tumblr are all nerds, but not math nerds. history nerds. the math nerds are off being smart and doing shit, and we’re joking about murdering a man who died over two thousand years ago.

conclusion: we are superior to the math nerds and absolutely correct for this.

[drnikolatesla]

Tesla's Obsession With the Ancient Pyramids

Nikola Tesla's fascination with the Egyptian pyramids stemmed from his belief that they held profound secrets of ancient technology and engineering. He was particularly intrigued by their precise construction and alignment with astronomical phenomena, such as the cardinal points and the movements of celestial bodies.

In 1904, Tesla met with British occultist Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt, and aided Crowley in writing his book, The Book of the Law. According to Crowley's accounts, he and Tesla received the idea for his book through a series of transmissions from a spiritual entity known as Aiwass while staying in Cairo. This event marked a significant turning point in Crowley's life and his development as a prominent figure in occultism and esotericism.

Tesla's interpretation of the messages from Aiwass differed significantly from Crowley's. Tesla speculated that the Great Pyramid of Giza might have served as an enormous power plant or transmitter of energy, based on its unique geometric properties and the possibility of it containing hidden chambers or conduits. He proposed theories about energy, frequency, and vibration, suggesting that the pyramids could harness and transmit free energy through the Earth's crust.

In 1905, Tesla filed a patent in the U.S. titled “The Art of Transmitting Electrical Energy Through the Natural Medium,” in hopes of mimicking the engineering of the pyramids to provide the world with free energy.

While Tesla's ideas about the pyramids were unconventional and not supported by mainstream archaeology or Egyptology, they reflect his visionary approach to science and his willingness to explore unconventional theories. Despite lacking concrete evidence, his fascination with the pyramids demonstrates his belief in the interconnectedness of ancient wisdom and modern technology.

APRIL FOOLS!!! 🤣😂🤣

There is literally no evidence that suggests Nikola Tesla showed any interest in the Egyptian Pyramids. These conspiracies are derived from silly people using Tesla’s inventions to correlate and further promote their far-fetched, evidence-free theories that the Egyptians were visited by extraterrestrials.

Have a good day everyone! (((:

[teachersource]

Did you know? On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space, and the youngest American astronaut.

[theofficialastronomy101]

A few historical photos!

[arthistoryanimalia]

So apparently today is also #WorldStickInsectDay? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Marianne North (British, 1830-90)

Leaf-Insects and Stick-Insects, Java, c.1876

oil on board, H 35.5 x W 24.4 cm

Kew Gardens Marianne North Gallery MN676

[amnhnyc]

Imagine a pinecone as heavy as a bowling ball and the size of a chihuahua. Believe it or not, such pinecones exist—and they belong to the coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), a conifer that can be found in parts of North America including California and Mexico. Infamous among loggers and foresters, this tree is nicknamed "the widowmaker" because of the unlucky individuals who met their fate as a result of its falling pinecones. This species produces the largest pinecones on the planet, weighing up to 11 lbs (5 kg)!

Photo: damontighe, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

[jkl-fff]

Happy Moon Landing Day!

On this day, for the first time in human history, some guys went up and got absolutely silly on a big space rock that *wasn’t* the Earth! And that’s really cool.

[strawlessandbraless]

Happy International Women’s Day! To my ladies in SCIENCE 🧪 🧬🔬🔭🧫🦍🐒🌿🌳🍄🚀🛰️

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

[arthistoryiscooliguess]

pls let me know your preference!