The American public's longstanding preference for intelligence over intellect informed ambivalent portrayals of American scientists in the postwar era. This essay considers how six popular Hollywood films from a largely neglected genre-comedy-projected ambivalent images of scientists from 1961 to 1965. It argues that scientists were often respected for their intelligence, but were mocked or even feared for their intellect. In the comedic subgenres of the family film and slapstick, scientists who were safely contained at institutions of higher education committed merely social transgressions and became objects of mockery. In the political satire of Dr. Strangelove, however, the direct threat of nuclear annihilation cast the scientist as an object of fear and a real threat to the security of the nation. This discussion of popular comedies thus accounts for an under-studied cultural barometer and powerful medium in the popularization of science.

Despite being older and more pervasive than formal education, the history of nonformal and informal education is less fully examined by historians of education. This chapter explores the unique opportunities and challenges experienced by historians studying nonformal and informal education. The spectrum of nonformal and informal education is incredibly diverse and includes the set of all social institutions that serve to shape an individual’s knowledge and values. It spans museums and libraries, popular media, and even casual relationships between young people and more experienced members of their communities. The study of the history of nonformal and informal education brings to the fore ontological questions about educational history, including what counts as an educational institution, the differences between education and entertainment, and whether the same research methods that apply to the study of formal educational institutions can be applied to the study of their less formal counterparts.

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