Incorporated in 1912, Atlas Powder Company functioned as an independent explosives and chemicals company until 1971, when it was purchased by Imperial Chemical Industries Limited (U.K.) and became its American affiliate under the name ICI Americas, Inc. The collection consists of minutes, reports, and correspondence from Atlas in addition to both predecessor and subsidiary companies.

The Savannah River Plant was built near Aiken, South Caroline, and manufactured plutonium and tritium for the U.S. nuclear program. This item is a color photograph of the architect's rendering.

Hudson Maxim (1853-1927) was an inventor and chemist best known for his work in the development of smokeless gunpowder and military explosives. The papers consist primarily of Maxim's published and manuscript writings from the period between 1907 and 1926. The writings range in topics: Napoleon, the future of naval and aerial warfare, and social Darwinism and anti-immigration.

The Sperry Gyroscope Company researched, developed, and manufactured navigation equipment; three of the premiere products were the marine gyrostabilizer, the gyrocompass, and the high-intensity searchlight. The company was founded by Elmer A. Sperry (1860-1930) in 1910. After Elmer Sperry's death in 1930, the engineers at Sperry Gyroscope continued to develop increasingly sophisticated anti-aircraft devices, fire control, and automatic pilot systems. Directors were developed to operate anti-aircraft weapons systems and utilized observational data to calculate firing solutions. The collection comprises a drawing for an anti-aircraft fire director and a graduation certificate issued to James A. Wittie (1918-2010) for completing a four-week training course in the principles and use of the M-4 and M-7 directors.

The Thiokol Chemical Corporation was formed in 1929 for the production of synthetic rubber and other related chemicals. Headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, the company moved into defense contracting in the 1940s and, after the Second World War, their product further evolved as both a rocket fuel and a binding agent in one. Thiokol eventually began the manufacture of rocket engines and grew into one of the world’s largest producers of solid rocket motors for the aerospace and defense industries. The records largely consist of documents related to the history and development of Thiokol, annual reports, information on the development of rockets, as well as publications relating to the aerospace industry.