The Year Science Changed Everything

1957's International Geophysical Year and the Future of Our Planet

By: Mark O'Connell

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eText | 6 May 2025

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In 1957, 6,000 scientists from 66 nations achieved the impossible: they erased political borders for 18 months to unlock Earth's greatest mysteries—and changed science forever.

The International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957 marked humanity's first unified effort to understand our planet, launching the space race, discovering the Van Allen radiation belts, and producing groundbreaking climate research that shapes our world today. Through exclusive interviews with modern climate leaders—including the late marine biologist and climate researcher Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, science diplomat and Senior Fellow at United Nations Institute for Training and Research Paul Arthur Berkman, Frank Niepold at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), science historian Rebecca Charbonneau, and many more—author Mark O'Connell reveals how this historic collaboration offers a blueprint for tackling today's environmental challenges.

Key discoveries from this groundbreaking initiative:

Sparked the space race and satellite technology development
Led to the first comprehensive mapping of ocean floors
Produced the Antarctic Treaty, protecting an entire continent
Established the foundation for modern climate science
Created a model for international scientific cooperation

As climate change threatens our planet, The Year Science Changed Everything shows how the spirit of global scientific unity that transformed 1957 might be our best hope for safeguarding Earth's future.