Cards; Card games; Nineteen thirties; Finance, Personal; Budgets, Personal
Ever worry your parents will run out of money before giving allowances? In a similar way, some people worried the government was spending too much money when this game was made in 1938. To have a balanced budget, the government can’t spend more...
Baleen is a sieve-like (strainer) growth used too skim food out of the water for some whales. It is made of the same material as your fingernail, but grows long from the roof of the mouth of certain whales. The whale will swim with its mouth open,...
Fire extinction; Fire pumps; Fire extinction -- Equipment and supplies; Japan; 19th Century
Today firefighters wear lots of protective gear made of high-tech, nonflammable materials. In 19th century Japan, these options were not available. Japanese firemen wore coats, pants, gloves and hats made of thick fabric made from several layers of...
Toys; Toy making; Airplanes; Handicraft -- Africa; Art, African; Burkina Faso; France -- Colonies -- Africa; Recycling (Waste, etc.)
Can you find the clues that tell how and where this artifact was made? If you look closely at the multi-colored metal, you can see pictures of little Dutch boys, dairy cows and windmills. This toy was made from "Bonnet Rouge" brand...
Can you tell what types of soda cans were used to make this toy helicopter? Children in many areas of Africa are very skilled at making toys out of the different things they find. This helicopter was made by a young boy in Mali out of empty soda...
Congo (Democratic Republic); Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Social life and customs; Art, African; Helicopters
African artisans are very resourceful, making art out of things as everyday as bicycle tires, soda cans, buttons and wire. In many different regions, children make inventive and fun toys for themselves out of what most people probably consider...
Scales (Weighing instruments); Weights and measures; Gold Coast; Akan (African people); Akan (African people)--Ghana--Social life and customs
The trade in gold across Africa’s Sahara desert, called the Trans-Saharan gold trade, dominated West African commerce from the 7th to the 14th centuries. In search of gold for coinage, Arabs from the Mediterranean made annual camel treks across...
Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), 1836-1911; Sullivan, Arthur Seymour, Sir, 1842-1900; Opera; Nineteenth Century; Music; Musical theater; Theaters; Savoy Theatre
Englishmen Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan joined their talents of librettist (writer of operas) and composer to create fourteen operettas between 1871 and 1896, paving the way for modern musical theater. Their...
With a single poem, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow created a national folk hero with his 1860 poem "Paul Revere’s Ride". Celebrating a small event in the struggle for greater freedom in America, this Revere figure, dressed in 1770s clothing...
This bird gets its name from its bright red plumage that resembles the robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals. This bird is highly territorial and will stay in the same area all year long. The cardinal is easy to spot in the winter as it brilliant...
Indians of North America; Apache Indians; Apache baskets; Baskets; Containers; Pitchers
The Southwest Indians are well known for producing well made utilitarian baskets, as well as textiles, jewelry, and dolls. The various Apache tribes are well known for their coiled water jugs. This particular jug is covered with pine pitch inside...
Mali; Dogon (African people); Dogon (African people) -- Social life and customs; Dogon (African people) -- Religion and mythology; Dogon (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies; Dance; Sculpture
Like many cultures, the cliff-dwelling Dogon peoples of rural Mali in West Africa have special beliefs and practices related to death. It is believed that after a person dies, even if his body is removed, his spirit remains in his home. The spirit...
The sora rail is a small marsh bird that inhabits the low-lying wetlands in North and South America. It can be found in areas of either fresh or brackish water making its home among the taller plants where it can easily hide. The sora is rarely...
World War, 1914-1918; Germany; Germany -- Politics and government -- 20th century; Military uniforms; Helmets; Prussia (Germany) -- History
Nothing stands out more in the history of military uniforms than the spiked helmet, or pickelhaube, which literally means "pimple hat." The pickelhaube was originally part of Prussian military headgear. The Prussian King, Friedrich...
Rarely venturing far from the trees, the Eastern Gray Squirrel can be spotted in areas of hardwood forests containing nut trees such as Oak and Hickory. This squirrel feeds on a wide variety of seeds, nuts, fruits and even bark and fungi. The gray...
Harley-Davidson Incorporated; Harley-Davidson Motor Company; Bicycles; Bicycles--History;1910s; 1920s
Founded in 1903, the Harley-Davidson company's goal was to take "the work out of bicycling." Ironically, the company produced bicycles from around 1916 to 1924. Meant to appeal to children and young adults, the bikes were painted and pin...
Toys; Space toys; Apollo 11 (Spacecraft); Moon -- Exploration; Space flight to the moon; Nineteen sixties; Nineteen seventies; Project Apollo (U.S.)
The race to space captured America’s imagination during the 1960s and early 1970s. Inspired by the Apollo program’s command and lunar modules, this toy allowed kids to recreate Apollo 11’s first lunar landing on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong...
This strange looking creature is a porcupine fish. It gets its name from the many sharp barbs that cover its body. When this fish feels threatened, it gulps in water and inflates in size, causing all those barbs to stick straight out. That makes it...
This brightly colored mollusk is a Giant Lima Shell and was found along the reef flats near the Philippine Islands. In life this creature moves about by clapping both halves of its shell together and forcing water out – thus propelling itself...
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...
