Taking Science to the Marketplace: Examples of Science Service's Presentation of Chemistry during the 1930s

During the 1930s, Science Service, a not-for-profit independent news organization, promulgated an approach to popularizing science which favored audience preferences over scientific agendas and attended to industry as well as academic research interests. Stories about chemistry and chemists harmonized well with Science Service's emphasis on research utility and relevance. This article describes examples from syndicated news reports, radio broadcasts, a newspaper series called 'Fabrics of the Future', and a department store exhibit on chemistry that traveled through the United States in 1939-40.