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Jim Bennett (historian)

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Jim Bennett
FSA FRAS
Photograph of Jim Bennett
Bennett on his retirement in 2012[1]
Born(1947-04-02)2 April 1947
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died28 October 2023(2023-10-28) (aged 76)
Oxford, England
Other namesJames Arthur Bennett
OccupationMuseum curator
Years active20th–21st century
Known forDirector of history of science museums in Cambridge and Oxford
AwardsPaul Bunge Prize, German Chemical Society (2001);
PhysicsEstoire Prize, European Physical Society (2018);
George Sarton Medal, History of Science Society (2020);
Agnes Mary Clerke Medal, Royal Astronomical Society (2023)[2]
Academic background
EducationGrosvenor High School (Belfast)
Alma materClare College, University of Cambridge
Academic work
DisciplineHistorian of science
Sub-disciplineHistory of scientific instruments and astronomy
InstitutionsWhipple Museum of the History of Science (Cambridge)
Museum of the History of Science, (Oxford)
Main interests16–18th century scientific instruments and astronomy
Notable worksLondon's Leonardo: The Life and Work of Robert Hooke (2003); The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science (2003)

James Arthur Bennett, FSA, FRAS (2 April 1947 – 28 October 2023[3]) was a British museum curator and historian of science.[4][2] Bennett's interests lay in the history of practical mathematics from the 16th century to the 18th century, scientific instruments and astronomy.[5]

Early life and education

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Bennett was educated at Grosvenor High School, a grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[6] He studied at Clare College, Cambridge, graduating with Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1969.[6] He undertook a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, which he completed in 1974.[6][7] His doctoral thesis was titled "Studies in the life and work of Sir Christopher Wren".[7]

Career

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Bennett was subsequently a fellow and senior tutor of Churchill College and curator of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, both part of Cambridge University. His work in Cambridge included hands-on use of scientific and navigational instruments, using the Whipple collection to teach undergraduates how instruments worked, and gaining insight into the difficulties faced by the historical teachers of those instruments.

Bennett was Director of the Museum of the History of Science at Oxford University (since renamed the History of Science Museum).[8] He was appointed on 1 October 1994, on the retirement of the previous director, Francis Maddison,[9] and retired on 30 September 2012. He was also a fellow of the Faculty of History[10] and Linacre College. In 2010, the University of Oxford gave him the title Professor of the History of Science. Under his leadership at the museum, the visitor figures increased from 25,000 to 180,000.[4] He was an early adopter of the World Wide Web with a website for the museum, including online exhibitions such as The Measurers in 1995.[11]

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford

In 2016, Bennett became the president of the Hakluyt Society. He also held the position of Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London.[12] In addition, Bennett was President of the British Society for the History of Science and President of the Scientific Instrument Commission of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science.[13][14] He also appeared in television documentaries.[15]

In 1976, Bennett was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS).[6] He was also elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA) on 3 March 1989.[16]

Selected publications

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  • The Mathematical Science of Christopher Wren, J.A. Bennett. Cambridge, 1982
  • The Divided Circle: A History of Instruments for Astronomy, Navigation and Surveying, Jim Bennett. Oxford, 1987.
  • Church, State and Astronomy in Ireland, 200 Years of Armagh Observatory, Jim Bennett. Belfast, 1990.
  • The Garden, the Ark, the Tower, the Temple. Biblical Metaphors of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe, Jim Bennett and S. Mandelbrote. Oxford, 1998.
  • Practical Geometry and Operative Knowledge, Jim Bennett. Configurations, 6, 1998.
  • London's Leonardo: The Life and Work of Robert Hooke, Jim Bennett, Michael Cooper, Michael Hunter and Lisa Jardine. Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-19-852579-6.[17][18]
  • Catalogue of Surveying and Related Instruments, Jim Bennett, Sillabe Srl, Livorno, Italy, 2022. ISBN 978-88-3340-322-9
As editor

References

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  1. ^ "Jim Bennett Retires". Inside HSM Oxford. History of Science Museum, Oxford. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Jim Bennett (1947–2023)". UK: Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  3. ^ Nall, Jishua (30 December 2023). "Jim Bennett obituary". The Guardian. p. 8. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ackermann, Silke; Johnston, Stephen (30 October 2023). "Celebrating the life of Professor Jim Bennett". UK: History of Science Museum, University of Oxford. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  5. ^ Johnston, Stephen (Spring 2024). "OBITUARY: Jim Bennett (1947–2023): life as a museum practitioner". Science Museum Group Journal. UK. doi:10.15180/242105.
  6. ^ a b c d "Bennett, Prof. James Arthur". Who's Who. Vol. 2023 (online ed.). A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U12694. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. ^ a b Bennett, James Arthur (1974). Studies in the life and work of Sir Christopher Wren (PhD thesis). Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Staff". UK: History of Science Museum, Oxford. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Staff Changes". Annual Report of the Museum of History of Science 1994–5. Vol. Supplement (2) to Gazette No. 4401. Oxford University Gazette. 20 May 1996. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  10. ^ "Dr Jim Bennett". UK: Faculty of History, University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  11. ^ Bowen, Jonathan P.; Bennett, Jim; Johnson, James (April 1998). "Virtual visits to virtual museums". MW'98: Museums and the Web. Archives & Museum Informatics. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  12. ^ "BBC In Our Time: Longitude". UK: BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Museum of the History of Science Annual Report". UK: Museum of the History of Science, Oxford. March 2002. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Professor Jim Bennett". cafesci.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  15. ^ Jim Bennett at IMDb.
  16. ^ "Fellows: Prof James Bennett". Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  17. ^ Pugliese, Patri J. (September 2004). "Essay Review: Light on Hooke: London's Leonardo: The Life and Work of Robert Hooke, the Curious Life of Robert Hooke: The Man Who Measured London". History of Science. 42 (3). Sage Publishing. doi:10.1177/007327530404200305.
  18. ^ McLellan, Neil J. (March 2004). "London's Leonardo: The Life and Work of Robert Hooke". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 79 (1). The University of Chicago Press. doi:10.1086/421581.
Cultural offices
Preceded by Director of the Museum of the
History of Science, Oxford
1994–2012 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by George Sarton Medal
2020 		Succeeded by
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