Fountain of Youth

Fountain of Youth, ca. 1930s-1950s Have we discovered the road to freedom from disease?! That is what the makers of this “medical” elixir would have had you believe. With claims that regular treatment would “build blood fast” and that it was “good enough for a king,” the Fountain of Youth was 16 fluid ounces of… Continue reading

Poison Ivy Barbie

Poison Ivy Barbie, ca. 2004 Not all girls want to be the heroine! When Mattel launched its first series of DC Comics Barbie dolls in 2003 with Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl, they quickly followed with a set of DC super villainesses in 2004. Barbie donned the catsuit, the harlequin outfit, and the shiny green… Continue reading

Texas-horned Lizard

Texas-horned Lizard, Native to south-central US and northern Mexico. Although also known as the Horny Toad because of its wide, flattened body, the Texas horned lizard is not an amphibian, but a reptile with scales and claws. It has some amazing defenses besides two prominent horns on its skull. Its coloring helps it blend in… Continue reading

Montgolfier Balloon Model

Montgolfier Balloon Model, ca. 1946-47 This painted wooden model represents the invention of the hot air balloon by the Montgolfier brothers in France, who are responsible for launching the age of air. On September 19, 1783, the brothers demonstrated their invention for King Louis XVI at Versailles, sending the first passengers skyward – a sheep,… Continue reading

Beaver Skull

Beaver Skull – Native to central and northern US, southern Canada The American beaver is the largest rodent in North America and mainly an aquatic animal, living in forested areas with freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams. As seen here, beaver teeth are overly large, and bright orange in color. The teeth grow throughout its life… Continue reading

Sundial

Sundial – ca. 1917 Did you know that the sundial is the earliest type of timekeeping device? The oldest known sundial dates to about 1500 BC, an ancient Egyptian “shadow clock” made from green schist, a type of metamorphic rock. This bronze sundial has a unique shape and unusual inscription on the back side; “Count… Continue reading

Fossil Herring

Fossil Herring – collected from Wyoming About 50-40 million years ago this now extinct fossil fish, Knightia eocaena, was the most common fish found in the freshwater lakes of what is now Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. They were once an abundant and important food source, but now are the most commonly excavated fossil fish in… Continue reading

Zebra Hide Drum

Zebra Hide Drum – ca. 1960s, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). Drums have historically been an important instrument in Africa, used to send messages between villages, to call hunters to the hunt or warriors to war, and to provide rhythms for singers and dancers for ceremonial and social events. This tribal drum from Zaire… Continue reading

Pufferfish Lamp

Pufferfish Lamp, ca. 1950s-1960s That’s right, this electric lamp is made from the skin of a pufferfish with a fluorescent bulb inside. Although these type of lamps enjoyed brief popularity in the 1950s and 1960s as elements of nautical décor, their origins go further back. By 1900, it was already a common practice in Japan… Continue reading

Discus Coral

Discus Coral – Collected from the Marshall Islands. This domed specimen is a type of marine coral colony found in the Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia to Fiji. A stony coral with the ability to regenerate, it forms delicate, thin-walled, and hollow domes. This is an uncommon but distinctive type of coral that lives on deeper sheltered… Continue reading