Maria Luisa Righini-Bonelli (November 11, 1917 – December 18, 1981) was an Italian science historian and educator. The daughter of General Luigi Bonelli and Adele Giamperoli, she was born Maria Luisa Bonelli in

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

. She studied Spanish language and literature and then taught in the faculty of political science at the

University of Florence The University of Florence ( Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'') (in acronym UNIFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The f ...

from 1948 to 1968. She worked with at the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza beginning in 1942. In 1961, she became director of the institute after Corsini died. Righini-Bonelli saved most of the important treasures of the institute during the Flood of Florence in 1966. She was a professor of the history of science for the

University of Camerino The University of Camerino () is a university located in Camerino, Italy. It is the best university of Italy among those with fewer than 10,000 students, according to the Guida Censis Repubblica 2011 and 2012 ranking. It claims to have been foun ...

from 1972 to 1981. She served as vice-president of the

International Union of History and Philosophy of Science The International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology is one of the members of the International Science Council (ISC). It was founded in 1955 by merging the International Union of History of Science (IUHS) and the Internation ...

. She was a member of the

International Academy of the History of Science The International Academy of the History of Science () is a membership organization for historians of science. The Academy was founded on 17 August 1928 at the Congress of Historical Science by Aldo Mieli, Abel Rey, George Sarton, Henry E. Sig ...

and the Italian consultant for the

Dictionary of Scientific Biography The ''Dictionary of Scientific Biography'' is a scholarly reference work that was published from 1970 through 1980 by publisher Charles Scribner's Sons, with main editor the science historian Charles Coulston Gillispie, Charles Gillispie, from Pri ...

. In 1966, she married astrophysicist . Righini-Bonelli was editor or founder for various journals on the history of science: * editor of ''Rivista di Storia della Scienza, Medice e Naturale'' from 1943 to 1956 * founded the journal ''Physis'' in 1959, serving as its editor until 1978 * founded '' Annali dell'Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza'' in 1976, serving as editor until 1981 She participated in many national and international conferences and meetings on the history of science. In 1967, she received the gold medal for contributions to culture from the president of the Italian Republic. She also received a gold medal from the Order of Pharmacists, the Italian Medical Corps and the Women's Rotary Club. She was awarded the

George Sarton Medal The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to a historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifet ...

by the American

History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS), founded in 1924, is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. The society has over 3,000 members worldwide. It publishes the quarterly journal ''Isis'' and the yearly ...

in 1979. She died at the age of 64 in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. In 1983, the Institut et Musée de l'histoire de la science established a scholarship in her name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Righini-Bonelli, Maria Luisa 1917 births 1981 deaths 20th-century Italian historians Italian women historians Academic staff of the University of Florence