Daedalus, the scientific journal whose readers and contributing writers include U.S. Presidents and Nobel Prize laureates alike, and which is published quarterly by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, began as nothing more than a name, says Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics Gerald Holton.

"Each of us is sort of trapped in our own labyrinth," Holton, who is also Professor of History of Science Emeritus, says. "Physics or chemistry, for example, lawyers, business people are each in their own labyrinth. What I want them to do is what Daedalus did. He made himself some wings."

The fledgling journal, named after the Greek mythological hero who escaped from a labyrinth using a self-constructed pair of wings, had an even bigger obstacle to surmount. It had little money, no office and had to be housed in the Jefferson physics laboratories.

But now, the journal, which includes essays in such diverse fields as history, chemistry, philosophy and the visual arts, is commemorating its 40th anniversary with the winter 1998 edition. Not only does this special edition celebrate 40 years of scholarship, but it also honors Holton as the first editor of the journal.

The Wings are Built

Holton says the wider distribution of Daedalus began after a "happy accident" in which he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is based in Cambridge, Mass.

The 3,300 Fellows and 550 Foreign Honorary Members of the Academy represent the highest, scholarship in the physical sciences, the biological sciences, the social arts and sciences and the humanities and fine arts.

"It is like being elected to Phi Beta Kappa," Baird Professor of Science Dudley R. Herschbach, the Academy's secretary says.

Current Academy fellows confer membership upon notables in 21 different fields after a selection process overseen by Herschbach.

"I am responsible for trying to get this 21-ring circus to operate," he says.

Holton began Daedalus in 1948 with assistance from his wife, Nina.

"I had luck. I am married to a lovely woman," he says. "I dealt with the subjects, and through her job with a publishing firm, she also knew about editing. Together, we published the first issues."

Once he had the idea for the journal, Holton says he went to the Out of Town News stand in Harvard Square to see whether a news outlet would be interested in selling the journal. To this day, students can buy Daedalus from the Harvard Square landmark, Holton says.

Promoting Unity

Holton says Daedalus was never designed to be a "science" journal, but rather a journal for scholars in many fields.