Celebrating Scientific American's 175th Anniversary

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August 28, 2020

Dear Reader, On this day in 1845, Rufus Porter published the first issue of Scientific American. Porter was a prolific inventor and is credited with dozens of inventions—including a flying ship, a portable camera obscura, a rotary plow, and more. Learn surprising facts about our eclectic founder by reading his story below. In our anniversary issue, we look back at dizzying discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and historical events that have helped determine the course of the past 175 years, for this magazine and the world at large. Search our database of most often used words, see how our logo evolved over time and explore an interactive that features all of the magazine's colorful covers. You can also join the celebration on social media with #SciAm175. We've had a blast putting together this issue and hope you enjoy it.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Arts & Culture Celebrating Scientific American's 175th Anniversary Enjoy some surprising history and the most dizzying discoveries By Laura Helmuth

Arts & Culture Scientific American's Colorful Covers Reveal 175 Years of Change The magazine's hues provide a record of publishing technology and trends By Nicholas Rougeux,Jen Christiansen

Arts & Culture The Eclectic Works of Scientific American's Founder Rufus Porter The latest science book recommendations from our editors By Andrea Gawrylewski

Policy & Ethics Reckoning with Our Mistakes Some of the cringiest articles in Scientific American's history reveal bigger questions about scientific authority By Jen Schwartz,Dan Schlenoff

Arts & Culture Scientific American Is the Source of More Than 1,000 New Terms A famous dictionary cites the magazine for new words and new meanings of old words By Mark Fischetti

Policy & Ethics How an Article about the H-Bomb Landed Scientific American in the Middle of the Red Scare At one time this magazine tangled with the FBI, the Atomic Energy Commission and Joseph McCarthy By Alfred W. McCoy

Engineering The First Subway in New York City Was a Cylindrical Car Pushed by Air Scientific American editor Alfred Ely Beach revealed the secretly built wonder in 1870 By Katherine Harmon Courage

Arts & Culture Scientific American vs. the Supernatural This magazine launched a contest to prove, or disprove, the existence of ghosts By Katherine Harmon Courage

Arts & Culture When Scientific American Made M. C. Escher Famous In the 1960s Martin Gardner helped to turn the artist M. C. Escher into a sensation By Stephen Ornes

Arts & Culture The Language of Science How the words we use have evolved over the past 175 years By Moritz Stefaner,Lorraine Daston,Jen Christiansen

Arts & Culture Explore 175 Years of Words in Scientific American Search a 4,000-word database to see how language in the magazine evolved over time  By Moritz Stefaner

Arts & Culture Vintage Scientific American Covers by Fish Illustrator Stanley Meltzoff The latest science book recommendations from our editors By Andrea Gawrylewski

FROM THE STORE Scientific American Print & Digital Subscription For $34.99 a year, your Print & Digital Subscription includes monthly delivery of print issues and is accessible on all of your devices via the web and Android and iOS apps.

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Evolution of the Scientific American Logo Scientific American's logotype has undergone subtle shifts, large leaps and occasional bouts of nostalgia. By Jen Christiansen | March 6, 2014

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