Martin Harwit
Encyclopedia
Martin Harwit is a Czech-American astronomer, author, and was director of the National Air and Space Museum
in Washington, D.C. from 1987 to 1995. His scientific work on Infrared astronomy
as a professor at Cornell University
is notable.
In 1994 he became embroiled in public debate when his work on the Enola Gay
exhibit, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1945 Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
, was accused of being "revisionist history" for including Japanese accounts of the attack and photographs of the victims, and for presenting an exhibit script that critics alleged "depicted the Japanese as victims of a United States motivated by vengeance." The controversy led to his being forced to resign from the directorship of the National Air and Space Museum
.
Named after him
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
in Washington, D.C. from 1987 to 1995. His scientific work on Infrared astronomy
Infrared astronomy
Infrared astronomy is the branch of astronomy and astrophysics that studies astronomical objects visible in infrared radiation. The wavelength of infrared light ranges from 0.75 to 300 micrometers...
as a professor at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
is notable.
In 1994 he became embroiled in public debate when his work on the Enola Gay
Enola Gay
Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
exhibit, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1945 Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
, was accused of being "revisionist history" for including Japanese accounts of the attack and photographs of the victims, and for presenting an exhibit script that critics alleged "depicted the Japanese as victims of a United States motivated by vengeance." The controversy led to his being forced to resign from the directorship of the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
.
Honors
Awards- Bruce MedalBruce MedalThe Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal is awarded every year by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding lifetime contributions to astronomy. It is named after Catherine Wolfe Bruce, an American patroness of astronomy, and was first awarded in 1898...
(2007)
Named after him
- AsteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
12143 Harwit12143 Harwit12143 Harwit is a main belt asteroid with an orbital period of 1298.8257929 days . The asteroid was discovered on September 24, 1960....
Works
- Astrophysical Concepts (1. Auflage 1973, 4. Auflage 2006) ISBN 978-0-387-32943-7
- Cosmic Discovery: The Search, Scope and Heritage of Astronomy (1981) ISBN 978-0-710-80089-3
- An Exhibit Denied: Lobbying the History of Enola Gay (1996) ISBN 978-0-387-94797-6