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 (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. Gerald Louis Wendt was born on 3 Mar 1891 in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

. 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, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

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 and using chemical weapon, chemical, biological agent, biological, radiological weapon, radiological, and nuclear weapon, nuclear (Chemical, biological, r ...

, and taught at the

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

and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. 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