Have you ever heard news about scientists, researchers or Nobel laureates receiving awards and wondered about the inventions or discoveries that were recognised? If so, The Franklin Institute’s Case Files, a website that gathers a historical archive and documentary record of the Institute’s awards programme is definitely for you.

The site brings together the names of awardees’ achievements in science, technology and engineering, with their biographies, inventions and contributions all in one place.

The Franklin Institute’s Case Files page serves as a digital archive of The Franklin Institute Awards, tracing back to the very roots of the Institute, founded in 1824, when it started recognising notable scientific and technical achievements.

The website itself is very simple, mostly text and links, with no flashy graphics or modern layouts. Its main focus is on the archive of awards given over the years, from inventors to mathematicians and even companies.

You can explore the site through the main menu at the top, which is a bit of a distraction in itself. For example, the top menu has a lot of sections: exhibits, events, support, shop, museum map, education programmes, blogs, podcasts and awards. It can get a bit confusing to find the Case Files section because it’s hidden under “Awards.” Those of you who will visit the site for the first time may find it hard to get to the section, but once you reach the Case Files section, you won’t regret the time you invested in searching.

This section is informative, as it actually pulls you in. It shows the history of science in a way that feels easy to understand, with people and the things they created that changed the world. The nice part is, it doesn’t just talk about the famous names; it also includes those lesser-known inventors and the stories of how they came up with their big ideas.

So to open the new vistas of your mind or read the stories you didn’t know you were missing, just visit: https://fi.edu/en/awards/case-files

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025