Gerald L. Wendt (1891-1973) was a chemist who became a writer and lecturer on popular science. He was director of science and education at the New York World's Fair, an editor at ''Time'' magazine and ''

Science Illustrated ''Science Illustrated'' is a multilingual popular science magazine published by the Swedish publisher Bonnier Publications International A/S. History and profile ''Science Illustrated'' was launched simultaneously in Denmark, Norway and Sweden i ...

'', and worked for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. Gerald Louis Wendt was born on 3 Mar 1891 in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

. He was married twice and had a son by his first marriage. He died on 22 December 1973. Wendt graduated from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

with a BA (1913) and a PhD (1916) in chemistry. He saw war service as a researcher for the Army in the

Chemical Warfare Service The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. The Chemical Warfare Service was established on 28 June 1918, combining activities that until ...

, and taught at the

Rice Institute The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its work ...

and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. Wendt spent many years as a public lecturer and writer and was by 1938 a serious public scientist. He became director of The American Institute of New York City in 1937. He was director of science and education at the New York World's Fair between 1938 and 1940, promoting an optimistic vision of the future.

Books

*''Science for the World of Tomorrow'' (1939) *''Nuclear energy and Its Uses in Peace'' (1950) *''You and the Atom'' (1955) *''Atomic Energy and the Hydrogen Bomb'' (1956) *''The Prospects of Nuclear Power and Technology'' (1957)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendt, Gerald 1891 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American chemists American science writers Time (magazine) people Writers from Davenport, Iowa Harvard College alumni Rice University faculty University of Chicago faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni