Microscope and Lab Set

Microscope and Lab Set, Gilbert, ca. 1960 Did you miss National Chemistry Day on the 22nd? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Check out this Gilbert Microscope and Lab Set from 1960! One of A.C. Gilbert’s career-building science sets for children, this set allowed kids to examine specimens under an electric microscope and experiment with… Continue reading

Lunchbox and Thermos

Lunchbox and Thermos – Disney’s Tomorrowland, ca. 1970s This week Disney celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding, so we’re honoring the historic milestone with this Tomorrowland lunchbox and thermos. Tomorrowland is one of the five original “lands” of Disneyland which opened along with the park in 1955. As you can guess from the lunchbox,… Continue reading

Pyrite Sun

Pyrite Sun, collected from Sparta, Illinois Unlike with the solar eclipse happening this Saturday, there is no need to avert your eyes from this sun! This is a pyrite sun, sometimes also called a pyrite dollar or sun dollar. These mineral specimens have an unusual formation which displays striations radiating out from the center like… Continue reading

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear – Ursus arctos horribilis The grizzly is a subspecies of Brown bear found in Northwestern North America. A solitary animal requiring a large habitat, National Parks such as Glacier National Park in Montana and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming can be ideal places to live. September 23, 2023, is National Public Lands Day,… Continue reading

Space Astros Candy

Space Astros Candy – South Africa, ca. 1997 CHOCOLATE!!! Today is International Chocolate Day, and to celebrate we are going back to the late 90s with an out-of-this-world chocolate candy called Space Astros. These candy-coated chocolate biscuit bites made by Cadbury had a little bit of crunch and a lot of that dairy milk chocolatey… Continue reading

Hat (Salakot)

Hat (Salakot) Philippines, ca. early 20th century What specific job do you think this hat was worn for? This is the traditional type of hat worn by rice paddy farmers in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Made of stitched together palm leaves over a bamboo stick frame and decorated with colored straw, paper, and cotton,… Continue reading

Vaccine Therapy Booklet

Vaccine Therapy Booklet ca. early 1900s With a title like “Vaccine Therapy as Applied to Pyorrhea Alveolaris” you might wonder what disease this booklet is talking about. Would it surprise you to learn that this booklet is looking at vaccine treatments for gum disease? That’s right, pyorrhea alveolaris is a chronic periodontitis of the gums… Continue reading

Sculpture, “Fetching the Doctor”

Sculpture, “Fetching the Doctor” ca. 1881 Did you know that doctors used to make house calls? Up until the 1960s, doctors visited their patients at home, both for regular check-ups as well as for illnesses and injuries. We get a sense from the subjects here that this visit was not a routine check-up. You can… Continue reading

Quarantine Notice

Quarantine Notice – ca. 1900 This cloth quarantine notice says it all. Wherever it hung, this notice was a clear warning to avoid this place. In the 19th century, scarlet fever epidemics happened frequently, striking terror in the hearts of parents everywhere. Children were particularly susceptible, and it is estimated that the mortality rate from… Continue reading

Print, A History of Medicine in Pictures

Print, A History of Medicine in Pictures – ca. 1961 What is going on here? This poor kid does not look very happy! And understandably so. Titled “Jenner: Smallpox is Stemmed,” this print illustrates English physician Edward Jenner performing the first vaccination against smallpox in 1796. Jenner was able to prove that his discovery of vaccination… Continue reading