Archive · 23 Aug 2026
How a Woman’s 1856 Greenhouse Discovery Was Overlooked
Foote found that carbon dioxide could warm Earth’s atmosphere.
She described the basic mechanism of the greenhouse effect in 1856.
Her paper was titled “Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays.”
The paper was presented at an American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in August 1856.
Joseph Henry presented her findings because women were not allowed to read papers at the meeting, and her work later lacked institutional support.
- Who
- Foote discovered the warming effect of carbon dioxide; Joseph Henry presented her findings.
- What
- Foote described how an atmosphere with more carbon dioxide could produce a warmer Earth.
- When
- The paper was presented in August 1856.
- Where
- At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- Why
- Women were not allowed to read papers at the meeting, and Foote lacked the institutional standing, connections, and continued scientific access needed to keep her work circulating.
- Paper
- “Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays”
- Discovery
- More atmospheric carbon dioxide could produce a warmer Earth.
- Date
- August 1856
- Scientific concept
- The greenhouse effect
- Presenter
- Joseph Henry, head of the Smithsonian Institution
- Publication
- Foote’s paper was published shortly after its presentation
- Barrier
- Women were not permitted to read papers at the meeting