Model Submarine – Nautilus SSN 571 70 years ago in January 1954, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine was launched. Named after Captain Nemo’s submarine from the 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the Nautilus was a large vessel at 323 feet long with a crew of 104. However, her pressurized-water nuclear reactor… Continue reading
Glenn Curtiss Commemorative Stamps – 1980 This set of postmarked stamps commemorative the aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, one of the founders of the U.S. aircraft industry. Although he may be most known for developing the JN-4 “Jenny” two-seat training aircraft during World War I, Curtiss also created the world’s first successful flying boat. A flying… Continue reading
Iron Lung – ca. 1940 On this day in 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, better known as the March of Dimes. The organization was founded to combat polio, an infectious disease that affects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem. In its most severe form, polio can… Continue reading
Motor Magazine – October 1941 What do the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty have in common? They were both designed by French architect and structural engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. Eiffel designed the internal structure of the statue, a flexible, skeletal system to support the 100 tons of copper plate affixed to the outside and… Continue reading
Mogollon Bowl – ca. 1100-1200 A.D. Have you ever heard of first day covers and first day of issue stamps? First day covers are stamped envelopes or postcards with a postmarked postage stamp on the first day of issue authorized for use. With the postmark applied, it prevents the postage stamp from being reused, but… Continue reading
Mogollon Bowl – ca. 1100-1200 A.D. The rich red and black geometric design on this ceramic bowl is known as the Casas Grande style, a sophisticated art form attributed to the ancient Mogollon culture who lived in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern US. Casas Grandes was the largest and most advanced Mogollon settlement with a… Continue reading
First Day Cover and Postage Stamps – Issue Date September 23, 1978 Who remembers spending hours playing with model trains like this one? This sleek steam locomotive was made by Lionel Manufacturing Company in 1950 and features the 4-4-2-wheel configuration. This means it has four wheels in the front, four in the middle, and two… Continue reading
Model Train Locomotive – ca. 1950 Who remembers spending hours playing with model trains like this one? This sleek steam locomotive was made by Lionel Manufacturing Company in 1950 and features the 4-4-2-wheel configuration. This means it has four wheels in the front, four in the middle, and two in the back. Many of you… Continue reading
Polaroid Land Camera Model 95 – ca. 1948-1953 Did you know that the first Polaroid camera went on sale 75 years ago? This model, the Model 95, is the first instant picture camera manufactured by the Polaroid Corporation. At least 1.5 million of these models were made, each with the folding viewfinder and using the… Continue reading
Art Print, “Science!” – ca. 2015 They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that is certainly true in this instance! This original art print brings together two icons that have more in common than you might think, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium and the TARDIS. Each one can transport you through time… Continue reading
