Exhibition: Thomas Harriot, England's Galileo.

West Sussex Records Office, Chichester.

24 July-28 August 2009

The West Sussex Records Office in Chichester is hosting an exhibition based on the Harriot Papers in the Petworth House Archive celebrating the scientific interests of Thomas Harriot.

For more details see the WSRO website

CFP Measuring New Worlds:  Thomas Harriot and the Expansion of Knowledge Quadricentennial Conference.

2-4 April 2009

Click here to visit the conference website

The centerpiece of the Harriot Quadricentennial will be an international conference to be held over the course 4-5 days in North Carolina where Harriot, as a young and energetic scholar visited during 1585-1586 as part of an expeditionary group to examine the flora, fauna, geology, and climate of that part of America which was northerly to Spanish settlements. As a consequence of his ten month residence on Roanoke Island just within the Outer Banks barrier of coastal waters, Harriot was able to chart with amazing accuracy those same Outer Banks, to analyze the natural history of the realm, to befriend and successfully communicate with the native inhabitants of that slice of America, and to write the first book published in the English language describing carefully and accurately A Briefe and True Report on the New Found Land (1588).

Harriot College is inviting scholars, students, and “Harrioteers” from anywhere in the world to gather at a conference in North Carolina in April 2009 whose diverse goals and features will include:

• Speakers and content sessions for the presentation of research on Harriot and his period—both historical and interdisciplinary
• Setting of “forum topics” for special attention among participants and speakers as a part of the conference
• Discussions formal and informal for sharing information and perspectives on Thomas Harriot and the world in which he lived
• Presentations and discussions on the pre-colonial environment of the Carolina region and North America—including native populations, flora, fauna, geological, and environmental conditions
• Visits and tours of Roanoke Island and other sites where Harriot and other participants in the Raleigh/Roanoke voyages lived and the places they explored (Fort Raleigh, Roanoke Island, Hatteras, and excavated sites)
• Visits to universities and institutions where research on early English incursions into America and where Elizabethan and Renaissance era studies are being pursued (East Carolina Univ., Greenville; UNC Chapel Hill; NC State Archives and NC Museum of History in Raleigh)
• Opportunities to meet scholars and researchers in art, archaeology, history, history of science and mathematics, literature, linguistics, native American history, geology, historic botany, and other fields
• Convening of focus groups to explore avenues for interpreting the Roanoke settlements, Harriot, Raleigh, native populations, and related topics at historic sites and museums
• A “bring out your curiosities” mini-fair to examine the ancient custom of collecting artifacts relating to early settlements and the amassing of private collections
• Social activities and entertainment worthy of the age of Harriot, Manteo, Raleigh, and Wanchese

Proposals for speaker and topics, sessions, visits, social activities, and entertainments are invited during the planning period which extends from 1 October 2007 until 30 September 2008. All proposals and suggestions should be sent via email or by fax or mail to the director of the Quadricentennial Harriot Conference as follows:

Larry E. Tise
Wilbur and Orville Distinguished Teaching Professor
Department of History, Thomas Harriot College
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC USA

Email               tisel@ecu.edu
Phone              252.328.1026
Fax                  252.328.677

For more details, click here to visit the Harriot Quadricentennial webpages

Thomas Harriot Celebration: Syon House, 26 July 2009

On Sunday 26 July 2009 a celebration of Thomas Harriot's achievements in astronomy will be held at Syon House in west London.

It is 400 years since he observed the Moon using a telescope at Syon. His work most likely predates that of Galileo, and the International Year of Astronomy 2009 give sus the long overdue opportunity to recognise his work.

The celebration will include an exhibition of copies of Harriot's moon maps and drawings of sunspots as well the work of other astronomers. The day will include the opportunity for Solar viewing (weather permitting) and family activities.

In the afternoon there will be an unveiling of a lasting memorial which will give the public a brief overview of Harriot's remarkable life.

In the early evening there will be a lecture given by Dr Allan Chapman followed by a reception. This will be a ticketed event.

The event has been funded by the Royal Astronomical Society and will be held as part of the International Year of Astronomy.

More details will be found on the website: http://telescope400.org.uk

Ann Mills