 The idea of a Science History Institute dates to 1976, when the nation's bicentennial and the ACS' centennial stimulated interest in history and chemistry.As part of the ACS centennial activities, John H. Wotiz of its history-of-chemistry division organized a session on the history of chemistry; he was a strong proponent of a national center for historical chemistry.In 1979, the ACS formed a task force chaired by Ned D. Heindel to look at creating a national center for the history of chemistry.