Medical instruments and apparatus; Surgical instruments and apparatus; Physicians; Surgeons; 19th century
A patient needing medical care during the 1800s faced numerous options for treatment. While many doctors attended medical schools or completed apprenticeships, poorly understood causes of common diseases and functions of the human body lead to...
A patriotic parasol! This parasol looks like a flag and could have been used on July 4th in the heat of the day. While an umbrella is used to keep rain off, a parasol is used to keep the sun off. In the 1800s, it was desirable for a woman to have a...
About 85 species of chameleons are known, most living in Madagascar and Africa, although some live in Asia and one in Europe. There are several groups of lizards that can change their color, but the chameleon is the most accomplished. Pigments in...
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Assassination; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Death and burial; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Funeral journey to Springfield; Badges; Indianapolis (Ind.)
After President Lincoln's assassination, his body was carried by train from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Illinois for his funeral. Along the way, the train made stops so people could pay their final respects. This badge was worn by Samuel...
Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. They developed a process, called mummification, to preserve the body after death for its use in the afterlife. During embalming, the process used to create a mummy, specific internal organs were...
As inventors tried to create motorized vehicles, some started with bicycles while others tested carriages. About 1894, the first motorized bicycle became available for purchase. Capitalizing on the interest of motorcycles by the police, delivery...
Baby Louie is a very unique dinosaur specimen representing an unknown giant species of oviraptor with some very bird-like characteristics. This Late Cretaceous specimen consists of the fossilized remains of a small dinosaur emerging from an egg....
Before pocket calculators, the most common device used to perform mathematical operations by scientists, engineers, and students was the slide rule. A basic slide rule can be used to multiply and divide, while others can be used for more complex...
Guitar; Musical instruments; Dylan, Bob, 1941-; Autographs; Music -- History; Folk music -- History; Music -- United States -- History
Bob Dylan's influence on popular music is immeasurable. Throughout his career, he changed the face of many different genres of music, including folk, rhythm and blues, rock, pop and country. Born in 1961 as Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth,...
Bonnets of the 1830s to the 1850s had a projecting rim framing the face, often trimmed both outside and in with ribbon, cloth flowers, tulle, lace, and tied under the chin with a ribbon bow. While ready-made bonnets were available, many...
Calabashes, or gourds, are the fruits of several varieties of vines. Some are planted, while others grow wild. The many different sizes and distinct shapes of calabash lend themselves to specific use. Many African cultures carve and decorate gourds...
Calcite is one of the most common minerals and is the major component of limestone. This specimen, however, is unusual in that it will phosphoresce. It will glow brightly for some period of time when placed under an ultraviolet light and even for a...
Rocking chairs; Furniture; Pioneers -- West (U.S.); Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865; 19th Century
Can a chair tell stories? Well, if it could this one would have many to tell! In 1851 Mrs. Kelley traded this chair with her neighbor for a long handled frying pan. Her neighbor, wanting to join the rush for gold in California, needed a pan more...
Drum; Akan (African people); Akan (African people)--Ghana--Social life and customs; Ghana; Musical instruments; Percussion instruments
Certain African drums are called “talking drums.” Skilled drummers can create such a range of sound from them that it seems as if they can speak. This drum, called “atumpan,” is a type of talking drum used by the Akan peoples of Ghana. They...
Chaps continue to be essential work gear for cowboys. Leather chaps with large, loose side flaps are called "batwing" chaps and are the style most often seen at rodeos. While different regions of the country may have different styles, the...
Pomo Indians; Pomo Indians--Social life and customs; Musical instruments; Indians of North America--Music; Indians of North America--California
Clap sticks are used to keep rhythm in most Central Californian Native American dances. The stick is hit against the hand, causing the two split sides to clap together. 4-8 men clap sticks simultaneously while singing. At a certain point in the...
Miwok Indians; Miwok Indians--Social life and customs; Musical instruments; Indians of North America--Music; Indians of North America--California
Clap sticks are used to keep rhythm in most Central Californian Native American dances. The stick is hit against the hand, causing the two split sides to clap together. 4-8 men clap sticks simultaneously while singing. At a certain point in the...
China; China -- Social life and customs; Crickets; Insect cages
Cricket Culture in China encompasses a 2000 year history of both singing and fighting insects and can be divided into three eras. Before the Tang Dynasty (500 BC - 618 AD), people appreciated the cricket's melodic chirping in its natural habitat....
Debuting in the fall of 1978, the science fiction series Battlestar Gallactica pitted good against evil on ABC. Following the popularity of Star Wars in movie theaters, the show featured a colony of humans racing toward Earth while avoiding the...
Demonstrators carried pennants like this one throughout the United States while seeking the right to vote in the early 1900s. Women who wanted the right to vote were known as suffragists or suffragettes. Since the 1850s, men and women worked to...
