Kinney, Jeremy
Associate Director
Aviation History; Aerospace History; Air Racing; Aircraft Propulsion; Interwar and World War II Military Aviation; Aircraft Design, Technology, and Manufacturing; Motorsports; History of Technology; Twentieth Century United States and Great Britain
Positions
- Associate Director for Research, Collections, and Curatorial Affairs, National Air and Space Museum 2023 -
- Associate Director, Research and Curatorial Affairs, National Air and Space Museum 2020 - 2023
- Chair, Aeronautics Department, National Air and Space Museum 2019 - 2020
- Curator, National Air and Space Museum 2000 - 2019
Geographic Focus
- Europe Continent
- North America Continent
Background And Education
Education And Training
- B.A., Greensboro College
- Ph.D., Auburn University
Professional Biography
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Jeremy R. Kinney is the Associate Director for Research, Collections, and Curatorial Affairs at the National Air and Space Museum. He leads the Museum’s research, curatorial, collections, and archives departments and provides counsel and advice on curatorial and museum affairs to the Director and Senior Leadership Team.
As a curator, Dr. Kinney oversees three collections at the Museum: interwar and World War II American military aviation, air racing, and aircraft propulsion. They number approximately 4,000 artifacts and range in size from a small puddle carburetor from 1911 to military fighter and bomber aircraft from World War II. All three collections document how communities developed high performance aircraft and technology to express their visions of what flight could achieve for humankind in times of peace and war. In addition to collecting, interpreting, and documenting those artifacts, Kinney has been involved in several preservation and restoration projects, including the Curtiss R3C-2 racer, the Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver dive-bomber, and the Martin B-26B Marauder Flak-Bait medium bomber.Dr. Kinney’s research focuses on technology in the United States and Europe over the course of the twentieth century. He is the author of Reinventing the Propeller: Aeronautical Specialty and the Triumph of the Modern Airplane (Cambridge University Press, 2017), The Power for Flight: NASA’s Contributions to Aircraft Propulsion(NASA, 2017), Airplanes: The Life Story of a Technology (Greenwood Press, 2006; Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), essays in various anthologies, and articles in ICON and Journal of Aircraft. He is co-author of Alaska and the Airplane: A Century of Flight (Braun, 2013). Dr. Kinney is a contributor to the multi-volume The Wind and Beyond: A Documentary Journey into the History of Aerodynamics in America published by NASA. His current research interests include international air racing in the 1920s and 1930s and the history of the sports car in the United States after 1945.
At the Museum, Dr. Kinney is the lead curator for Nation of Speed and co-curator for the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery at the Museum in Washington, DC. He also curated exhibits and displays on aircraft propulsion systems, military aviation, and jet aircraft. Outside the Museum, Dr. Kinney has served as guest curator for aviation and technology-themed exhibitions at the Coventry Transport Museum in England, the Anchorage Museum in Alaska, and the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.
Dr. Kinney earned a BA from Greensboro College and a PhD in history from Auburn University. During his graduate work, he was a University Presidential Graduate Fellow and was awarded both the American Historical Association/NASA Aerospace History Fellowship and the National Air and Space Museum’s Guggenheim Fellowship. He has also taught courses in aerospace history at the University of Maryland at College Park, George Mason University, and New York University.
Awards And Honors
- Secretary's Research Prize, conferred by Smithsonian Institution, 2023
- Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award , conferred by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2020
- Secretary's Research Prize, conferred by Smithsonian Institution, 2018
- Peer Award for Outstanding Achievement, conferred by National Air & Space Museum, 2015
- Thornton D. Hooper Award for Excellence in Aviation History, conferred by League of World War I Aviation Historians, 2012
- The Eugene S. Ferguson Prize, conferred by Society for the History of Technology, 2005
Publications
Selected Publications
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Article
- Lickliter-Mundon, Megan, Cantelas, Frank, Coble, Wendy, Kinney, Jeremy R., McKinnon, Jennifer, Meyer, Jeffrey, Pietruszka, Andrew, Pilgrim, Brad, Pruitt, James R., and Van Tilburg, Hans. 2018. "Identification of a Deep-water B-29 WWII Aircraft via ROV Telepresence Survey." Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 13, (2) 167–189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-018-9200-8. 2018
- Cantelas, Frank, Van Tilburg, Hans, Fabian, Gary, Kelley, Christopher, Kinney, Jeremy R., and Tully, Anthony. 2017. "Exploring the Underwater Archaeology of World War II." Oceanography, 30, (1) 72–73. 2017
- Bell, Katherine L. C., Mowitt, William, Zykov, Victor, Delgado, James P., Tartt, Mitchell, Stout, Matthew, Wagner, Katie, Marquis, Sarah, Phillips, Brennan, Becker, Kaitlyn, Licht, Stephen, Ou, Jifei, Cheng, Chin-Yi, Yao, Lining, Sra, Misha, Jain, Dhruv, Blair, Don, Adams, Allan, Howland, Jonathan, Raineault, Nicole, Marlow, Jeffrey, Everett, Meredith, Etnoyer, Peter, Cormier, Marie-Helene, Knutson, Vanessa et al. 2017. "New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration The E/V Nautilus, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and R/V Falkor 2016 Field Season." Oceanography, 30, (1) 1. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2017.supplement.01. 2017
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2016. "Preserving a Survivor: Flak-Bait at the Smithsonian." Classic Wings, 22, (100) 46–49. 2016
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2013. "Racing on Runways: The Strategic Air Command and Sports Car Racing in the 1950s." ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology, 19 193–215. 2013
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2010. ""Engineering of a Pioneer Character": Frank W. Caldwell and the U.S. Army's Propeller Testing Program, 1917-1931." ITEA Journal, 31, (1) 34–37. 2010
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2009. "Building the Better Airplane: Aircraft Structural Testing at McCook Field, 1918." Over the Front, 24 340–357. 2009
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2009. "Conference Report: International Committee for the History of Technology, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2007, Victoria, British Columbia, 2008." Technology and Culture, 50 883–893. 2009
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2009. "Turning in the Wind: Frank W. Caldwell and the Variable-Pitch Propeller." ITEA Journal, 30, (3) 339–343. 2009
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Blog Posting
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2022. "Roscoe Turner and Gilmore the Flying Lion." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Jul 18, 2022. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/roscoe-turner-and-gilmore-flying-lion. 2022
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2020. "75 Years Ago: Flak-Bait Survives the War." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Apr 17, 2020. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/75-years-ago-flak-bait-survives-war. 2020
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2020. "75 Years Ago: The Flight of the Enola Gay." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. Aug 5, 2020. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/75-years-ago-flight-enola-gay. 2020
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2020. "Better Propellers for "The Few": Desmond Cooke's Legacy in the Battle of Britain." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Jul 10, 2020. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/better-propellers-few-desmond-cookes-legacy-battle-britain. 2020
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2019. "Ford v. Ferrari Reminds Us That We Are a Nation of Speed." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Nov 15, 2019. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/ford-v-ferrari-reminds-us-we-are-nation-speed. 2019
- Kinney, Jeremy R. and Horelick, Lauren. 2019. "Preserving Flak-Bait: Saving Doped Fabric." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. May 31, 2019. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/preserving-flak-bait-saving-doped-fabric. 2019
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2019. "The Many Lives of Buster the Air Racer." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Sep 6, 2019. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/many-lives-buster-air-racer. 2019
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2018. "How Fast Was the Fastest Air Racer in 1925?" Air and Space Stories Oct 12, 2018. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/how-fast-was-fastest-air-racer-1925. 2018
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2018. "Racing Champion Nemesis NXT Comes to Air and Space." Air and Space Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. May 24, 2018. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/racing-champion-nemesis-nxt-comes-air-and-space. 2018
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2018. "Remembering Darryl Greenamyer, Air Racing Champion." Air and Space Stories Oct 30, 2018. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/remembering-darryl-greenamyer-air-racing-champion. 2018
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2016. "Are You an Air Racing Fan?" Top Stories Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Sep 12, 2016. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/are-you-air-racing-fan. 2016
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2016. "Well, is it Flak Bait or Flak-Bait?" AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum 2016
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2015. "70 Years Ago: Flak-Bait's 200th Mission." AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Apr 17, 2015. http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/flak-baits-200th-mission/. 2015
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2015. "Fear and Concealment: Military Aircraft Disguises and Transformations." AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum 2015
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2014. "Remembering Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, 1921-2014." AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Aug 5, 2014. http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/remembering-theodore-dutch-van-kirk-1921-2014/. 2014
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2014. "Restoring the Museum's "Battling Beast": The Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver." AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Jan 23, 2014. http://blog.nasm.si.edu/restoration/restoring-the-museums-battling-beast-the-curtiss-sb2c-5-helldiver/. 2014
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2014. "Where is Flak-Bait?" AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Jun 19, 2014. http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/where-is-flak-bait/. 2014
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2013. "10 Cool Things About the Udvar-Hazy Center." AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Dec 15, 2013. http://blog.nasm.si.edu/hidden-treasures/10-cool-things-about-the-udvar-hazy-center/. 2013
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2013. "One Story, Two Museums: A Century of Alaska Aviation." AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Apr 5, 2013. http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/one-story-two-museums-a-century-of-alaska-aviation/. 2013
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2012. "Fighters, Warbirds, and Racers." AirSpace: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution. 2012
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2009. "The Curtiss R3C-2 Racer, 1925." AIRSPACE BLOG: Behind the Scenes at the National Air and Space Museum Washington, DC: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Mar 26, 2009. http://blog.nasm.si.edu/behind-the-scenes/the-curtiss-r3c-2-racer-1925/. 2009
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Book
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2017. Reinventing the Propeller: Aeronautical Specialty and the Triumph of the Modern Airplane. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2017
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2017. The Power for Flight: NASA's Contributions to Aircraft Propulsion. Washington, DC: NASA. 2017
- Kinney, Jeremy R. and Decker, Julie. 2013. 100 ans d'aviation en Alaska. Paris: ETAI. 2013
- Kinney, Jeremy R. and Decker, Julie. 2013. Alaska and the Airplane: A Century of Flight. Berlin: Braun. 2013
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2008. Airplanes: The Life Story of a Technology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 2008
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Chapter
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2020. "Airminded Nationalism: Great Britain and the Schneider Trophy Competition." In Aviation in the Literature and Culture of Interwar Britain. McCluskey, Michael and Seaber, Luke, editors. 251–272. London: Palgrave Macmillan. In Studies in Mobilities, Literature, and Culture. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60555-1. 2020
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2018. "Sports Car Paradise: Racing in Los Angeles." In LA Sports: Play, Games and Community in the City of Angels. Wilson, Wayne and Wiggins, David K., editors. 93–107. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. 2018
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2016. "Boeing B-29 Superfortress." In Milestones of Flight: The Epic of Aviation with the National Air and Space Museum. Van der Linden, F. Robert, Spencer, Alex M., and Paone, Thomas J., editors. 118–127. Minneapolis: Zenith Press. 2016
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2016. "North American P-51D Mustang." In Milestones of Flight: The Epic of Aviation with the National Air and Space Museum. Van der Linden, F. Robert, Spencer, Alex M., and Paone, Thomas J., editors. 90–99. Minneapolis: Zenith Press. 2016
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Kinney, Jeremy R. 2012. "Ornithipter." In World Book Encyclopedia
. Paul A. Kobasa, editor. 858. Chicago: World Book, Inc. 14 2012 - Kinney, Jeremy R. 2012. "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)." In World Book Encyclopedia. Kobasa, Paul A., editor. 212–212. Chicago: World Book Inc. 20 2012
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2010. "Aero Propulsion." In Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: An Autobiography. Neufeld, Michael J. and Spencer, Alex M., editors. 90–93. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. 2010
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2010. "NASA and the Evolution of the Wind Tunnel." In NASA’s Contributions to Flight. Hallion, Richard P., editor. 310–365. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 2 2010
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2010. "Richard Whitcomb and the Quest for Aerodynamic Efficiency." In NASA’s Contributions to Flight. Hallion, Richard P., editor. 88–133. Washington, D.C.: GPO. 1 2010
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Review
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2020. [Book review] "The Eye of War: Military Perception from the Telescope to the Drone." The American Historical Review, 125, (5), 1835–1836. https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/rhaa557. 2020
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2019. [Book review] "Timothy P. Schultz. The Problem with Pilots: How Physicians, Engineers, and Airpower Enthusiasts Redefined Flight." Isis, 110, (2), 432–433. https://doi.org/10.1086/703784. 2019
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2015. [Book review] "The Bombers and the Bombed: Allied Air War over Europe, 1940–1945, by Richard Overy." Journal of American History, 102, (1), 285–286. https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jav237. 2015
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2014. [Book review] "Blue Sky Metropolis: The Aerospace Century in Southern California." Technology and Culture, 55, 1023–1024. 2014
- Kinney, Jeremy R. 2012. [Book review] "Their Arrows Will Darken the Sun: The Evolution and Science of Ballistics." ICON: The Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology, 18, 243–244. 2012
Editor Of
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Book
- Hansen, James R. and Kinney, Jeremy R., editors. 2022. The Wind and Beyond, Volume III: Other Paths, Other Flyways. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office,. In The NASA History Series. 2022
Activities
Responsible Collections Areas
- Interwar and World War II American Military Aircraft (1919-1945); Aircraft Propulsion; Air Racing Aircraft; Air Racing Memorabilia and Personal Equipment
Contact
Location
- National Air & Space Museum Academic Department