About the Mercurians

The Mercurians promote the histories of communications technologies, broadly defined but more than 25 years old, by generating networks among and between people who work or are interested in that field. Current activities include this website, a Google Group, a Twitter account (@Mercurians1), the Pamela Laird Travel Award and Mercurians Prize, real and virtual meetings, and sessions at the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) conference. The group first met at the Society for the History of Technology meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1986. All interested persons are welcome at Mercurians meetings, which take place jointly with the Jovians (energy historians).

This site fills the role of the Mercurians newsletter, Antenna, and serves as a forum or clearing house for members’ news about publications, funding and employment, conferences, exhibits, archives and collections, museums, etc. It also provides an informal forum for their ideas, observations, and experiences in research, writing, and teaching the histories of communication technologies. We welcome contributions, including notices, queries, and short essays or reviews from Mercurians and Jovians.

There is no membership fee, but donations help to underwrite the Pamela Laird Travel Grant to defray the costs of research at archival or special collections by junior scholars, the Mercurians Prize for the best article in the history of communications technologies, and the cost of the URL. If you would like to support the Mercurians but are not a member of SHOT or cannot donate online, you can mail a check or international money order to

Amy Bix, SHOT Treasurer
5 Woodland Lane
Kirksville, MO  63501

If you have questions about contributing, please contact us at info@mercurians.org. Thank you!

Image: “The incandescent light bulb” by Anton Fomkin is licensed under CC BY 2.0