''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, including the

American Society of Magazine Editors The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is an industry trade group for magazine journalists and editors of magazines published in the United States. ASME includes the editorial leaders of most major consumer magazine in print and digital ...

awards for its journalistic excellence in 2003 (for General Excellence), 2004 (for Best Magazine Section), and 2019 (for Single-Topic Issue). With roots beginning in 1872, ''Popular Science'' has been translated into over 30 languages and is distributed to at least 45 countries.

Early history

The Popular Science Monthly ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

'', as the publication was originally called, was founded in May 1872 by

Edward L. Youmans Edward Livingston Youmans (June 3, 1821 – January 18, 1887) was an American scientific writer, editor, and lecturer and founder of '' Popular Science'' magazine. Early life Youmans was the son of Vincent Youmans and Catherine ( née Scofi ...

to disseminate scientific knowledge to the educated layman. Youmans had previously worked as an editor for the weekly ''Appleton's Journal'' and persuaded them to publish his new journal. Early issues were mostly reprints of English periodicals. The journal became an outlet for writings and ideas of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stori ...

, Louis Pasteur,

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His r ...

Charles Sanders Peirce Charles Sanders Peirce ( ; September 10, 1839 – April 19, 1914) was an American philosopher, logician, mathematician and scientist who is sometimes known as "the father of pragmatism". Educated as a chemist and employed as a scientist for t ...

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...

, John Dewey and James McKeen Cattell. William Jay Youmans, Edward's brother, helped found ''Popular Science Monthly'' in 1872 and was an editor as well. He became editor-in-chief on Edward's death in 1887. The publisher, D. Appleton & Company, was forced for economic reasons to sell the journal in 1900. James McKeen Cattell became the editor in 1900 and the publisher in 1901. Cattell had a background in academics and continued publishing articles for educated readers. By 1915 the readership was declining and publishing a science journal was a financial challenge. In a September 1915 editorial, Cattell related these difficulties to his readers and announced that the ''Popular Science Monthly'' name had been "transferred" to a group that wanted the name for a general audience magazine, a publication which fit the name better. The existing journal would continue the academic tradition as ''

Scientific Monthly ''The Scientific Monthly'' was a science magazine published from 1915 to 1957. Psychologist James McKeen Cattell, the former publisher and editor of ''The Popular Science Monthly'', was the original founder and editor. In 1958, ''The Scientific Mo ...

''. Existing subscribers would remain subscribed under the new name. ''Scientific Monthly'' was published until 1958 when it was absorbed into ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

''. The Modern Publishing Company acquired the ''Popular Science Monthly'' name. This company had purchased '' Electrician and Mechanic'' magazine in 1914 and over the next two years merged several magazines together into a science magazine for a general audience. The magazine had a series of name changes: '' Modern Electrics and Mechanics'', ''Popular Electricity and Modern Mechanics'', ''Modern Mechanics'' and finally ''World's Advance'', before the publishers purchased the name ''Popular Science Monthly''. The October 1915 issue was titled ''Popular Science Monthly and World's Advance''. The volume number (Vol. 87, No. 4) was that of ''Popular Science'' but the content was that of ''World's Advance''. The new editor was

Waldemar Kaempffert Waldemar Kaempffert (September 27, 1877 - November 27, 1956) was an American science writer and museum director. Career Waldemar (Bernhard) Kaempffert was born and raised in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Science from the City Coll ...

, a former editor of ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...

''. "The Popular Science Monthly has been bought by the Modern Publishing Company of New York City…" The new ''Popular Science Monthly'' is continued from ''World's Advance'', old version in now ''Scientific Monthly''. The change in ''Popular Science Monthly'' was dramatic. The old version was a scholarly journal that had eight to ten articles in a 100-page issue. There would be ten to twenty photographs or illustrations. The new version had hundreds of short, easy to read articles with hundreds of illustrations. Editor Kaempffert was writing for "the home craftsman and hobbyist who wanted to know something about the world of science." The circulation doubled in the first year. From the mid-1930s to the 1960s, the magazine featured fictional stories of Gus Wilson's Model Garage, centered on car problems. An annual review of changes to the new model year cars ran in 1940 and 1941, but did not return after the war until 1954. It continued until the mid-1970s when the magazine reverted to publishing the new models over multiple issues as information became available. From 1935 to 1949, the magazine sponsored a series of short films, produced by Jerry Fairbanks and released by Paramount Pictures. From July 1952 to December 1989, ''Popular Science'' carried Roy Doty's Wordless Workshop as a regular feature. From July 1969 to May 1989, the cover and table of contents carried the subtitle, "The What's New Magazine." The cover removed the subtitle the following month and the contents page removed it in February 1990. In 1983, the magazine introduced a new logo using the ITC Avant Garde font, which it used until late 1995. Within the next 11 years, its font changed four times (in 1995, 1997, 2001, and 2002, respectively). In 2009, the magazine used a new font for its logo, which was used until the January 2014 issue. In 2014, ''Popular Science'' sported a new look and introduced a new logo for the first time in eight years, complete with a major overhaul of its articles.

Recent history

The Popular Science Publishing Company, which the magazine bears its name, was acquired in 1967 by the Los Angeles-based

Times Mirror Company The Times Mirror Company was an American newspaper and print media publisher from 1884 until 2000. History It had its roots in the Mirror Printing and Binding House, a commercial printing company founded in 1873, and the ''Los Angeles Times'' ...

. In 2000, Times Mirror merged with the Chicago-based

Tribune Company Tribune Media Company, also known as Tribune Company, was an American multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through Tribune Broadcasting, Tribune Media was one of the largest television broadcasting companies, owning 39 ...

, which then sold the Times Mirror magazines to

Time Inc. Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...

(then a subsidiary of

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

) the following year. On January 25, 2007,

sold this magazine, along with 17 other special interest magazines, to Bonnier Magazine Group. In January 2016, ''Popular Science'' switched to bi-monthly publication after 144 years of monthly publication. In April 2016 it was announced that editor-in-chief Cliff Ransom would be leaving the magazine. In August 2016, Joe Brown was named ''Popular Science'''s new Editor in Chief. In September 2018, it was announced that ''Popular Science'' would become a quarterly publication. On October 6, 2020, the Bonnier Group sold ''Popular Science'' and six other special interest magazines, including the well-known titles ''

Popular Photography ''Popular Photography'', formerly known as ''Popular Photography & Imaging'', also called ''Pop Photo'', is a monthly American consumer website and former magazine that at one time had the largest circulation of any imaging magazine, with an edit ...

'', ''

Outdoor Life ''Outdoor Life'' is an outdoors magazine about camping, fishing, hunting, and survival. It is a sister magazine of ''Field & Stream''. Together with ''Sports Afield'', they are considered the Big Three of American outdoor publishing by Money ...

'', and ''

Field & Stream ''Field & Stream'' (''F&S'' for short) is an American online magazine focusing on hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. The magazine was a print publication between 1895 and 2015 and became an online-only publication from 2020. History ...

'', to North Equity LLC. While North Equity is a venture equity firm that primarily invests in digital media brands, David Ritchie, CEO of the Bonnier Group, said Bonnier believes, "North Equity is best-positioned to continue to invest in and grow these iconic legacy brands." From April 27, 2021, the ''Popular Science'' publication was changed to a fully digital format and is no longer in physical print.

Radio

''Popular Science Radio'' was a partnership between ''Popular Science'' and Entertainment Radio Network, which ran through 2016.

Tablet

On March 27, 2011, ''Popular Science'' magazine sold the 10,000th subscription to its iPad edition, nearly six weeks after accepting Apple's terms for selling subs on its tablet.

Podcasts

In 2018, ''Popular Science'' launched two podcasts, ''Last Week in Tech'' and
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week
'
''Last Week in Tech'' was later replaced by ''Techathlon''
Weirdest Thing proved to be the brand's breakout hit. After just one episode, Apple Podcasts included “Weirdest Thing” on their weekly "New & Noteworthy” list, and over the years it has hosted a number of live events.

Popular Science+

In early 2010, Bonnier partnered with London-based design firm BERG to create Mag+, a magazine publishing platform for tablets. In April 2010, Popular Science+, the first title on the Mag+ platform, launched in the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

the same day the iPad launched. The app contains all the content in the print version as well as added content and digital-only extras. Bonnier has since launched several more titles on the Mag+ platform, including ''Popular Photography''+ and ''Transworld Snowboarding''+.

Popular Science Australia

On September 24, 2008, Australian publishing company Australian Media Properties (part of the WW Media Group) launched a local version of ''Popular Science''. It is a monthly magazine, like its American counterpart, and uses content from the American version of the magazine as well as local material. Australian Media Properties also launched www.popsci.com.au at the same time, a localised version of the ''Popular Science'' website.

Popular Science Predictions Exchange

In July 2007, Popular Science launched the Popular Science Predictions EXchange (PPX). People were able to place virtual bets on what the next

innovations Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entit ...

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

, the environment, and science would be. Bets have included whether Facebook would have an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...

by 2008, when a touchscreen iPod would be launched, and whether Dongtan, China's

eco-city An eco-city or ecocity is "a human settlement modeled on the self-sustaining resilient structure and function of natural ecosystems", as defined bEcocity Builders(a non-profit organization started by Richard Register who first coined the term). Simp ...

, would be inhabited by 2010. The PPX shut down in 2009.

Television-Future Of...

Popular Science's Future Of... show premiered on Monday, August 10, 2009 on the Science Channel. The show was concerned with the future of technology and science in a particular topic area that varies from week to week. As of December 2009, a new episode was premiering every Monday.

Books

''Popular Science'' has published a number of books, including the bestselling
Big Book of Hacks
' and
Big Book of Maker Skills
'. The brand has also published
The Total Inventor's Manual
'and
The and The Future Then
'-which was published in conjunction with the brand's 145th anniversary.

Other languages

In June 2014, '' Popular Science Italia'' was launched in Italy by Kekoa Publishing. Directed by Francesco Maria Avitto the magazine is available in print and digital version. In April 2017, ''Popular Science'' was launched in Arabic by United Arab Emirates based publisher Haykal Media. The magazine is available in print bimonthly, and through a daily updated portal.

Publishers

Sources: ''American Mass-Market Magazines'' ''The Wall Street Journal'' and ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

''.

Gallery

Image:Popsci7.jpg, Ship on Stilts Rides Above Waves, January 1936, by

Edgar Franklin Wittmack Edgar Franklin Wittmack (1894–1956) was an illustrator and cover artist for many of the most popular magazines of the 1920s and 1930s. His covers, just as the artwork of his contemporary, Norman Rockwell, were usually created as oil paintings. Whe ...

Image:Popular_Science_May_1949.jpg, Is U.S Building a "New Moon"?, May 1949 Image:Popsci2.jpg, Cars Without Wheels, July 1959