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D. H. DeVorkin (Smithsonian Institution)
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, known first as the Russell Diagram, has proven to be one of the most fruitful and provocative graphical relationships in modern astronomy. It's origins have been traced by historians and astronomers alike to two highly creative and independent astronomers at the outset of the Century, and forms one of the most fascinating stories about how modern astrophysics emerged. Although the story is well-known and often told, both historians and astronomers in the past have tended to neglect the importance of motive and speculative framework in the discovery process. Here, once again, I attempt to set the record straight.