Stephen Daye

Cambridge, MA

This Cambridge tribute honors Dr. Edwin Herbert Land (1909–1991), the inventor and entrepreneur whose experiments with light and polarization led to the Polaroid Corporation and the instant camera that made a photograph appear in seconds. A largely self-taught scientist, he held hundreds of patents and advised the nation on science and defense, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His maxims — undertake only what is 'manifestly important or nearly impossible' — capture a restless, world-changing curiosity.

Boston, MA

The Cyclorama Building was raised in 1884 to house a giant circular painting of the Battle of Gettysburg — a form of immersive entertainment popular before motion pictures (that canvas now hangs at Gettysburg National Military Park). Over the years the round hall served as a skating rink, garage, and flower market, and in 1907 it was here that Albert Champion developed his spark plug, a small invention vital to the automobile age. Since 1970 the building has been home to the Boston Center for the Arts.

Cambridge, MA

John Winthrop (1714–1779), a Harvard professor and Fellow of the Royal Society, lived on this site from 1746 until his death. One of colonial America's foremost scientists, he taught mathematics and natural philosophy, observed comets and planetary transits, and helped lay the foundations of American scientific inquiry. The marker honors a scholar celebrated in his day as the greatest American mathematician and philosopher of his time.

Cambridge, MA

In these Cambridge rooms between 1955 and 1976, James D. Watson helped drive the revolution in molecular biology that followed the discovery of DNA's structure. From here he also planned the revival of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which he went on to direct. The site marks a nerve center of postwar American science.