David Rittenhouse
Videos
David Rittenhouse was an American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophica
Portrait by Charles Willson Peale, 1796
Rittenhouse's home as it appeared in c. 1919; from this lawn, in 1769, Rittenhouse observed the transit of Venus.
Valley Forge Medical Center and Hospital
A diagram from Rittenhouse's observations of the 1769 transit of Venus
The American Philosophical Society is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through rese
David Rittenhouse
…American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society and the first director of the United States Mint. Rittenhouse was born on April 8, 1732, in Rittenhousetown, in Germantown, along Paper Mill Run, a…
Philosophical Hall, the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia
Thomas Jefferson Garden adjacent to Library Hall
Franklin Hall at the American Philosophical Hall, named for Benjamin Franklin, the organization's founder
National Historic Landmark Plaque