Dec

Today in Smithsonian History: December 30, 1919

Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945), an American physicist and a pioneer in modern rocket research, with one of his products. Goddard was aided by the Smithsonian Institution at an early and crucial stage in his work.

December 30, 1919 The Smithsonian publishes Dr. Robert H. Goddard’s “A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes” in volume 71 of the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. It will become one of the fundamental works in theoretical rocketry. In 1916, Goddard, a professor at Clark College, wrote to the Smithsonian Institution, requesting funding for his research in rocketry. On January 5, 1917, upon the recommendation of Assistant Secretary Charles Abbot, Secretary Charles Walcott awarded Goddard a grant of $5000 from the Hodgkin’s Fund for his research. Goddard credited the Smithsonian with giving him the financial support he needed to bring his research and experimentation to fruition in the first modern rocket.

Courtesy Smithsonian Institution Archives