Joseph Henry
Joseph Henry was an American scientist who served as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He was the secretary for the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, a precursor of the Smithsonian Institution. He also served as president of the National Academy of Sciences from 1868 to 1878.
17 December 1797
Born on the same birth day (17 December): Alan Voorhees • Andrew Davies (footballer) • Chelsea Manning • Craig Sutherland • Eddie Fisher (drummer) • Elizaveta Tuktamysheva • Fernando Abad • Jim Bonfanti • Ken Hitchcock • Kris Joseph • Kujō Yoritsugu • Marissa Ribisi • Naiktha Bains • Neil Sanderson • Nikki McCray-Penson • Pope Francis • Shoma Uno • Stephen Lewis (actor) • Totka Petrova • Vincent Damphousse • William Safire • Łukasz Broź
Born in the same month (December 1797): Antoine Louis Dugès • Carl Georg von Wächter • Charles Hodge • Ghalib • Heinrich Heine