China; China -- History -- Han dynasty, 202 B.C.-220 A.D.; Lions; Lions in art; Sculpture
Chinese lions may not look much like actual lions from Africa, but they share many characteristics with mythical lions found in folklore traditions around the world. According to Chinese belief, lions chase away evil spirits and bring good luck,...
Introduced in 1957, Lionel's Girl's Train was a dismal failure in the stores. It may have been because girls who were interested in trains wanted one that looked like a real train, not like a gimmicky pastel-colored toy. Because so few were sold,...
AIDS (Disease); Wire craft; South Africa; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Plates (Tableware); Basket making; Handicraft
Wire basketry has a long tradition in South Africa. In the 1950s, telephone-wire baskets (or imbenge) became popular and have grown in popularity ever since. Among artists, the wire is known as "scooby-wire," or "scooby-do", or...
Bowls; Egypt--Civilization--To 332 B.C.; Egypt--Social life and customs--To 332 B.C.; Egypt--Antiquities; Alabaster
Ancient Egyptians used a hard stone called alabaster to create many things, including vessels, sculptures, boxes, jewelry and to line tomb walls and the walls and ceilings of temples. Mined locally in Egypt, alabaster was dug out from open pits or...
Bush, George, 1924-; Nesting dolls; Russia; Russia -- Social life and customs
The art form of Matreshkas (often spelled Matroyshkas) is more than 100 years old. Matreshkas are commonly referred to as nesting dolls because each smallest doll stacks into a larger one. According to legend, the first nesting dolls were made by a...
Minangkabau (Indonesian people); Minangkabau (Indonesian people) - social life and customs; Indonesia; Sumatra (Indonesia); Dwellings; Models and modelmaking
The Minangkabau people live in the Padang highlands of West Sumatra. The typical way of constructing buildings in Southeast Asia is to build on stilts. Minangkabau houses called rumah gadang (large house) are unique because of their distinctive...
This is a model of a Mongolian home called a yurt or ger. It is said that Mongolians do not appreciate the term yurt as much as ger, because yurt is the term used by Western invaders. Many Mongols are nomadic people, thus ger make wonderful homes...
Mirrors; China; China -- Social life and customs; China -- History -- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
Over the past 3,000 years, mirrors have become more than just a grooming aid in the Chinese culture. Mirrors, through the years, were also used as tokens of love, political gifts, and burial items for the afterlife. They were usually owned by the...
Kansas City Monarchs (Baseball team); Negro leagues; Baseball; Autographs; 1920s
Because African-Americans weren't allowed to play in professional baseball leagues, they formed their own leagues in the 1920s, giving the African-American community a sense of racial pride, self-awareness and a chance to play one of America's...
In Ancient Egypt, there were many types of breads including pastries and cakes. Because sugar was not available, the wealthy people used honey as a sweetener, while the poor used dates and fruit juices. Pastry cutters were used to cut a piece of...
Indians of North America; Pueblo Indians; Pueblo Indians -- Social life and customs; Pueblo pottery; Containers; Storage jars
In the beginning of the 20th century, Sara Fina Tafoya was the first Santa Clara Pueblo potter to succeed in marketing traditional utilitarian pottery with decorative non-functional designs. One image she began using was the imprint of a bear paw...
Thrashers (Birds); Songbirds; Songbirds -- North America
These birds belong to the avian family mimidae but tend to be much more shy and elusive than their more gregarious cousins the mockingbirds. These large brown birds tend to be a favorite among avid birdwatchers because they are known to have one of...
France; France -- Social life and customs; Implements, utensils, etc.
Copper cookware has been used for many years, because of its high heat conductivity, or ability to transfer heat. This particular pan is lined with tin. Cooking foods in direct contact with the copper can discolor the food. Also, copper may leach...
Toys; Mechanical toys; Motorcycles; Police; Japan; World War 1939-1945; 1950s; 1960s
This toy was "Made for America," but wasn’t "Made in America". Following World War II, the United States Government actively assisted in the economic recovery of Japan. This toy is one of many made in new factories in Japan...
Pachycephalosaurs, are often referred to as dome headed dinosaurs because they have thick, domed skulls that are covered with spikes and knobs. These two legged plant eaters are often depicted ramming their heads together, much like bighorn sheep...
Morpho; Butterflies; Insects; Butterflies -- South America
This brightly colored butterfly can be found in rainforests of South America. The Blue Morpho is well known to collectors because of it’s brilliant blue color. The color comes from tiny iridescent, or rainbow-like in color, scales that cover the...
Shark teeth like these are common in the fossil record for two reasons. First, just like modern sharks, prehistoric sharks had an unlimited supply of teeth. As a tooth became worn, it would fall out, to be replaced by another growing in a row...
This fossil sea urchin looks “irregular” because it’s base is flat and upper parts are domed. Like today's urchins, it was covered in spines, sometimes so small the animal looked like it was covered in velvet. Sea urchins are still alive...
Scarabs; Beetles; Insects; Scarabs -- Costa Rica; Beetles -- Costa Rica
Scarabs, heavy-bodied, oval beetles, are popular with collectors because of their bright colors and intricate patterns. It is the Gold Beetles of Costa Rica, with their incredibly metallic and shiny finish, that are the “jewels” of the insect...
This fossilized shrimp is rather special because prehistoric shrimp were rarely preserved whole. Their exoskeletons were usually eaten by various scavengers after the animal died. This specimen comes from the Jurassic, which occurred about 213 to...
