Milestones:Helpful Hints on Citations, Plaque Locations

Because Milestones are dedicated in many different parts of the world, and each situation varies, this page is intended to help people writing Milestone Proposals with hints and suggestions. (This page under construction; more examples and hints will be added soon.) Consult with staff at ieee-history@ieee.org for additional advice.

Writing a good citation

The goal is to make the citation as meaningful as possible to the general public. One of the secrets to writing a good citation is to focus on the achievement, and what made the achievement most significant.

Location of the plaque(s)

Finding an appropriate location for the milestone plaque is sometimes one of the most difficult obstacles milestone proposers face. The building where something happened may have been torn down or altered; the achievement might have occurred in a place not safe or accessible to the public (on a satellite in space, on the main line of a railroad, etc.); the owners of the site may not wish to have a plaque attached to their property, etc.  However, with some creative thinking, an appropriate place can usually be found. Following are some examples of location obstacles, and the solutions used. Details may be found on the specific milestone pages (see list of dedicated milestones).

Telstar Satellite: The ground station in Andover, Maine, was no longer in existance, and the land itself was owned by a new owner. The plaque was mounted on a stone in the town commons.

Thomas A. Edison West Orange Laboratories: The Laboratories are owned by the United States National Park Service, which does not allow plaques on its property. The nominators approached the Town of West Orange, which made a site for the plaque available in a well-trafficked area a little more than 1 km away from the labs.