This freshwater fish native to the rivers, floodplains, and lakes of South America has earned quite the bad reputation thanks to Teddy Roosevelt. That’s right, the 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt visited South America in 1913 and witnessed a group of piranhas devour an entire cow. He called them the “most ferocious… Continue reading
Did you know that the game of backgammon is nearly 400 years old? Invented in England during the first half of the 17th century, backgammon is a two-player game of strategy and luck. Each player has fifteen pieces to move along the twenty-four points around the board. The first to remove all their pieces from… Continue reading
This all-weather, long range fighter jet was one of the most versatile fighters ever built. Between 1958 and 1979, McDonnel Douglas produced just over 5,000 Phantoms in St. Louis. A year after its first flight, the F-4 was the U.S. Navy’s fastest and highest-flying fighter. In 1959, its prototype set the world altitude record at… Continue reading
Sometimes described as the “dinosaur of the turtle world,” the alligator snapping turtle is found in river systems, lakes, and wetlands exclusively in the central and eastern United States. It is the largest of the North American freshwater turtles and can grow up to 200 pounds! Myths that these turtles are known to attack people… Continue reading
Known as a “Dutchman’s Log,” this brass and copper tobacco box is much more than it appears. Designed especially for mariners, the outside of the box has an inscribed speed table to calculate a rough estimate of how fast the ship was travelling each day, and a perpetual calendar that helped the sailor work out… Continue reading
This is an extinct genus of ammonite called Discoscaphites conradi that lived during the Upper Cretaceous period approximately 72.1 to 66 million years ago. This type of ammonite is commonly found in the Fox Hills geological formation in South Dakota and Wyoming. The colorful iridescent shell is a result of proteins secreted by the ammonite… Continue reading
Triptychs are a type of religious icon, often commissioned for private use. Because of their size, triptychs could easily be transported and served as a type of protection for the owner. This triptych is only six and half inches tall! Beautifully painted, it features St. George killing a dragon in the center panel, with an… Continue reading
Did you know that over 90% of the animal species in the Amazon are insects? The Amazon is home to as many as 2.5 million species of insects, and scientists estimate that around 7,000 of those are butterflies. Some of the largest and most colorful butterflies in the world are found in the Amazon, like… Continue reading
Capitalizing on the immediate popularity of the television series in 1995, Marvel released a comic book series for Star Trek Voyager in 1996. The comics continue the adventures of the U.S.S. Voyager, and in the tenth issue the crew unexpectedly encounters the Borg! The comic series was short-lived; only fifteen issues were released because of… Continue reading
Stibnite is a sulfide mineral and the principal ore of antimony. It has a very metallic appearance with a bladed habitat, meaning the crystals form in what looks like many sharp, thin blades sticking out every which way. Stibnite is used today in the manufacture of matches, fireworks, and percussion caps. It was also used… Continue reading
