MiSci

What’s better during the holidays than enjoying a fun game with the family? Starting as a parlor game in Victorian England more than 100 years ago, Tiddledy Winks was originally played with wooden or ivory chits. This version by Milton Bradley of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sold at the turn of the 20th century and is preserved in miSci’s collection. Modern day productions of the game have traded the ivory for plastic, but the classic gameplay is largely unchanged from what you might remember from childhood. . #misciny #miscicollection #miltonbradley #vintagegame #vintagegames #vintagetoy #vintagetoys #classicgame #classicgames #classictoys #retrogame #retrotoy #retrotoys #retrolove #retrochristmas #kidsgame #kidsgames #nostalgictoys #tiddledywinks #parlorgames

With the recent increase in regional and national cases of COVID-19, the Museum has made the difficult decision to temporarily close. The health and safety of our visitors and staff is of the utmost importance and we are closely monitoring guidance from local government, public health officials, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While the Museum is closed, you will continue to have access to a variety of virtual learning opportunities made possible with the g...enerous support of the Jane Golub STEM Fund. For more information about miSci's virtual programming please visit www.misci.org/programming. To our valued Members, we want you to know that your Memberships will be extended to reflect the length of the closure and we look forward to seeing you in person at the Museum soon. We are poised to present an exciting lineup of exhibitions, classes, and special events when we return. During this challenging time, the Museum will lose vital revenue that funds the programming you care about most. So please consider making a donation today. Your gift will help miSci continue to provide the engaging educational experiences and family-friendly activities that you have come to know and love. Click here to make a donation: https://bit.ly/37LgnJy Thank You!

This massive iris is the door into a fascinating test chamber called an integrating sphere. As you might imagine, figuring out exactly how much light is released from a lightbulb can be a tricky task. To get accurate measurements scientists developed test chambers that reflected perfectly diffused light: spreading it out equally throughout. This chamber, pictured in this 1957 photo from miSci’s archive, was used to rate outdoor floodlights at a laboratory in Hendersonville, North Carolina. . #misciny #misciarchive #engineeringlife #engineeringisfun #science4everyone #scienceisreal #scienceiscool #testchamber #innovations #innovate #floodlight #floodlights #specializedtools #brightideas #laboratorylife #hendersonvillenc

Rest in peace Charles Chuck Yeager, the first person confirmed to have broken the sound barrier in level flight. His flying career spanned over 30 years, including several years as a record-breaking test pilot. His work in breaking the sound barrier was in cooperation with NACA, the predecessor agency to NASA. . At the speed of sound, air ceases to easily move out of an object’s way; instead, the air will form a wave of high pressure much like the wave at the front of a mov...ing boat. Prior to then, Captain Yeager’s flight of the Bell X-1 in 1947, airplanes approaching this barrier would frequently find themselves broken by extreme vibrations. Clever work by scientists and engineers led to the development of a streamlined shape and innovative control surfaces that would allow an airplane to exceed the barrier with a skilled pilot. . #misciny #sciencemuseum #vintagefilm #flyinghistory #aeronautical #aeronauticalengineering #nasa #rocketpower #recordbreaker #recordbreaking #soundbarrier #citius #aircrafthistory #chuckyeager #historyofflight See more

If something is too small to see, how do you know what shape it is? Scientists in the 20th century used a process called x-ray diffraction that allowed them to see patterns created when x-rays were passed over different materials. With careful measurements and clever mathematics, the data collected could be used to create models of molecular structure. In this 1959 photograph from miSci’s archive, Dr. John S. Kasper views a model of a new form of boron, discovered in partners...hip with Dr. L.V. McCarty and Mrs. Beulah F. Decker. . #misciny #misciarchive #materialscience #materialsscience #sciencemuseum #scienceandtechnology #scienceisreal #scienceiscool #scienceisawesome #chemicalengineer #chemicalengineering #chemistrylove #chemistrylovers #chemistrylab #chemistryisfun #chemistryiscool #chemistryislife #chemist #xray #xrays #xraytech #mathematics #boron #diffraction #molecule #molecules #molecular See more