Bowtie worn by Bill Nye on the television series Bill Nye the Science Guy. The navy blue bowtie is made of fabric printed with a white and red ink representation of the periodic table.
Bill Nye the Science Guy was a half-hour series produced by KCTS Seattle and syndicated by Buena Vista Television from 1993-1998. In the series, Bill Nye, an engineer and entertainer, taught scientific concepts in a fast-paced style, peppered with humor and musical interludes. Nye first developed the persona and concept for the show while moonlighting as a sketch comedian in Seattle, then received funding from the National Science Foundation and US Department of Energy to develop the program as a television series. Nye described the show as a combination of Pee-wee's Playhouse and Mr. Wizard, and its playful, accessible style made it a success with audiences and critics. After the Children's Television Act was enacted into law in 1990, television stations actively sought educational programming to meet the new federal requirements for license renewal, and Bill Nye the Science Guy became a popular choice in syndication. It was the first television program to run concurrently on both public and commercial broadcast stations, and the series won 19 Emmy Awards over the course of its run. Studies have shown that viewers of the show demonstrate increased comprehension and application of scientific facts and concepts and interest in science compared to non-viewers.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.