Messenger Lectures

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The Messenger Lectures are a series of talks given by scholars and public figures at Cornell University. They were funded in 1924 by a gift from Hiram Messenger of "a fund to provide a course of lectures on the Evolution of Civilization for the special purpose of raising the moral standard of our political, business, and social life", to be "delivered by the ablest non-resident lecturer or lecturers obtainable". [1] The lecture series has been described as one of Cornell's most important of extracurricular activities. [2]

Contents

Initially a series of twelve lectures per year, there are now either three or six lectures by one speaker each semester. [1]

Archeologist James Henry Breasted delivered the first series of Messenger Lectures in 1925. [3] [ page needed ]

Hiram Messenger

Dr. Hiram John Messenger Jr (July 6, 1855 - Dec. 15, 1913; B. Litt., Phd, [4] ) was from Hartford, Connecticut [5] and graduated from Cornell in 1880. [6] He was a teacher of mathematics [7] Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of the City of New York [8] and an actuary of the Traveler's Insurance Company. The gift he left to Cornell was part of $4,000 mentioned in his will [9] and a portion of his estate goes to Cornell each year. [5] He was himself the youngest son of Hiram J. Messenger, a mercantile businessman and owner of banks. [10]

The lectures

See the list of Messenger Lectures at Cornell University for a complete list

There have been over 80 talks given since 1924, the most famous of which is probably Richard Feynman's 7 lecture series in 1964, The Character of Physical Law , the videos of which were bought and made available to the public by Bill Gates in 2009.

A partial listing of some of the lecturers over the years is provided in Cornell's Messenger Lectures brochure as:

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Messenger/University Lectures". Cornell University . Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  2. ↑ Spangenburg, Ray; Moser, Diane (2004). Carl Sagan: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 45. ISBN   0-313-32265-1.
  3. ↑ "Bachelor of Science". Time Magazine . 1934-04-16. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  4. ↑ "The Mathematics Genealogy Project - Hiram Messenger, Jr". Mathematics Genealogy Project. Department of Mathematics, North Dakota State University . Retrieved 2009-07-29. Ph.D. Cornell University 1886. Dissertation: Modern Methods in Geometric Conics. Advisor: James Edward Oliver
  5. 1 2 Sigerist, Henry Ernest (1970). Civilization and disease. Ayer Publishing. pp. xii. ISBN   0-8434-0093-5.
  6. ↑ Lang, Susan S. (2006-04-07). "Britain's Astronomer Royal will deliver Messenger lectures". Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University . Retrieved 2009-07-25. The Messenger Lectures were established in 1924 by a gift from Hiram Messenger, who graduated from Cornell in 1880, with the intent of raising the moral standards of political, business and social life
  7. ↑ Sullivan, Robert (2003-03-06). "Political economist Fukuyama warns of 'weak states' in Messenger Lecture". Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University . Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  8. ↑ Edward, Poole Murray (1916). Distinguished Cornellians: A story historical of Cornell University with biographies of distinguished Cornellians. Ithaca, New York: THE CAYUGA PRESS.
  9. ↑ "LEFT FUND TO CORNELL.; Hiram L. Messenger Provided $4,000 Memorial in His Will". The New York Times . 1913-12-25. p. 8. Retrieved 2009-07-25. In the will of Hiram J. Messenger, actuary of the Travelers' Insurance Company, filed to-day, Cornell University is remembered,
  10. ↑ "Biographic Section A from Smiths history: CHAPTER XXXIV, HIRAM J. MESSENGER" . Retrieved 2009-07-25.


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