HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry explained

The HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry (2013–present) is given by the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award was originally known as the Dexter Award (1956–2001) and then briefly as the Sidney M. Edelstein Award (2002–2009), both given by the ACS.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

The Dexter Award was originally established by Sidney Milton Edelstein, a founder of the Dexter Chemical Corporation,^[6] to recognize an "outstanding career of contributions to the history of chemistry". As the Dexter Award, it was sponsored by the Dexter Corporation except for its final two years, when it was sponsored by the Mildred and Sidney Edelstein Foundation.^[7]

The award was briefly known as the Sidney M. Edelstein Award from 2002 to 2009, but was still given by the ACS.^[8] As such, the Sidney M. Edelstein Award should be distinguished from the Sidney Edelstein Prize (1968–present), which has been given continuously since 1968 by the Society for the History of Technology to recognize "an outstanding scholarly book in the history of technology."^[9]

Recipients

HIST Award (2013–present)

• 2024 James L. Marshall and Virginia R. Marshall^[10]
• 2023 Geoffrey Rayner-Canham and Marelene Rayner-Canham^[11]
• 2022 Marco Beretta^[12]
• 2021 Mary Virginia Orna^{[1] [13]}
• 2020 Lawrence M. Principe^[1]
• 2019 Otto Theodor Benfey^[1]
  • • 2018 David E. Lewis 2017 Jeffrey I. Seeman 2016 Ursula Klein
    • 2015 Christoph Meinel 2014 Ernst Homburg 2013 William R. Newman
• 2012 No Award
• 2011 No Award

Sidney M. Edelstein Award (2002–2009)

• 2009 Trevor Harvey Levere^[8]
  • • 2008 John Shipley Rowlinson 2007 Anthony S. Travis 2006 Peter J. T. Morris (Peter John Turnbull Morris)
• 2005 William B. Jensen
  • • 2004 Joseph B. Lambert 2003 David M. Knight 2002 John Parascandola

Dexter Award (1956–2001)

• 2001 William Arthur Smeaton^[7]
• 2000
• 1999 Mary Jo Nye
• 1998
• 1997 Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
• 1996 Keith J. Laidler
• 1995 William H. Brock
• 1994 Frederic L. Holmes
• 1993 Joseph S. Fruton
• 1992 John T. Stock
• 1991 Owen Hannaway
• 1990 Colin A. Russell
• 1989 D. Stanley Tarbell
• 1988 (Lutz F. Haber)
• 1987 Allen Debus
• 1986 Robert G. W. Anderson
• 1985 Robert Multhauf
• 1984
• 1983 Arnold Thackray
• 1982 John H. Wotiz
• 1981 Cyril Stanley Smith
• 1980
• 1979 Joseph Needham
• 1978 George B. Kauffman
• 1977
• 1976 Trevor Illtyd Williams
• 1975 (Johannes Willem van Spronsen)
• 1974 No Award
• 1973
• 1972 Henry Guerlac
• 1971
• 1970 Ferenc Szabadváry
• 1969 Walter Pagel
• 1968
• 1967 Mary Elvira Weeks^[14]
• 1966
• 1965
• 1964 Eduard Farber
• 1963 Douglas McKie
• 1962 Henry M. Leicester
• 1961 James R. Partington
• 1960
• 1959 John Read
• 1958 Eva Armstrong
• 1957 Williams Haynes
• 1956 Ralph E. Oesper

See also

• List of chemistry awards
• List of history awards

Notes and References

1. Web site: HIST AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY . American Chemical Society Division of the History of Chemistry . 22 July 2019.
2. Ihde. Aaron J.. The history of the Dexter Award. Part I: Origins . Bull. Hist. Chem.. 1988 . 1. 13–14. 22 July 2019.
3. Ihde. Aaron J.. The history of the Dexter Award. Part II: The First Decade. Bull. Hist. Chem.. 1988. 2. 11–14. 22 July 2019.
4. Ihde. Aaron J.. The history of the Dexter Award. Part III: The Second Decade . Bull. Hist. Chem.. 1989. 3. 11–15 . 22 July 2019.
5. Ihde. Aaron J.. The history of the Dexter Award. Part IV: The Third Decade. Bull. Hist. Chem.. 1989. 4 . 23–26 . 22 July 2019.
6. Web site: Sidney M. Edelstein (1912–1994) . The National Library of Israel . 22 July 2019.
7. Web site: DEXTER AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY . American Chemical Society Division of the History of Chemistry . 22 July 2019.
8. Web site: EDELSTEIN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY . American Chemical Society Division of the History of Chemistry . 22 July 2019.
9. Web site: Sidney Edelstein Prize . Society for the History of Technology . 4 May 2017 . 22 July 2019.
10. Web site: HIST Award Biography for James L. (1940-) and Virginia R. Marshall (1945-2014) . ACS . 13 May 2024.
11. News: Mainz . Vera V. . HIST award to Geoffrey and Marelene Rayner-Canham . 13 May 2024 . Chemical & Engineering News . 10. 101 . March 25, 2023 . en.
12. Web site: Marco Beretta (1962 - . ACS.
13. Wang . Linda . Mary Virginia Orna wins HIST award . Chemical & Engineering News . April 3, 2021 . 99 . 12 . 14 September 2021.
14. Book: Mainz . Vera V. . 150 Years of the Periodic Table . Mary Elvira Weeks and Discovery of the Elements . Perspectives on the History of Chemistry . 2021 . 343–383 . 10.1007/978-3-030-67910-1_14. 978-3-030-67909-5 . 238939073 .