Domestic and World Events

During Lampland's 49 year tenure at Lowell Observatory, domestic and world events affected life and work at the Observatory. Lampland's correspondence contains many references to World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, and the Cold War.

This exhibit is a small sample of Lampland's correspondence. All of his letters pertaining to Domestic and World Events are available as PDF files on our Collections page.

World War I

Due to the extraordinary conditions and great demand, Sears' supply of flags has been sold out

Owing to the war it seems to be very difficult to secure instruments and prisms of any kind

At Princeton they are 'full up with war work'

Guy Lowell called away upon very short notice in connection with an important war mission in Europe

Tennessee Evolution Case

Request for donations to end the present widespread efforts to outlaw the teaching of evolution in many states (related to the 1925 Scopes trial)

The Great Depression

Exploration work at Meteor Crater temporarily suspended due to the Depression

The hard economic times have made it necessary to discontinue explorations at the Crater.

The world's dilemma

World War II

Incensed at Japan's antics

Lessons of the first World War

"Let's emigrate to Mars!"

Incensed at Japan's antics

"Gangster nations"

The war in Europe

War conditions' effect on Lowell Observatory

War conditions' effect on Mt. Wilson Observatory

Military operations in the Pacific

Russia/Soviet Union

Appeal on behalf of Charushin's Russian friends for intercourse with the rest of the civilized world after the Bolshevik Revolution

"Russian Scientists, Artists and Men of Letters are dying of Starvation. HELP THEM!"

Purge of Russian astronomers during the Stalin Regime (Gerasimovich, Numerov)

Brief biography of Boris Petrovich Gerasimovich, one of the many Russian astronomers executed during the Stalin Regime

Brief biography of Boris Numerov, one of the many Russian astronomers executed during the Stalin Regime

A brief accounting of the 1936-1938 purge of Soviet astronomy

The Cold War

After World War II the U.S. demobilized much faster than it should have

International tensions between the U.S. and Russia