Science & Mathematics

Chemical Balance

The Museum's collections hold thousands of objects related to chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and other sciences. Instruments range from early American telescopes to lasers. Rare glassware and other artifacts from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen, are among the scientific treasures here. A Gilbert chemistry set of about 1937 and other objects testify to the pleasures of amateur science. Artifacts also help illuminate the social and political history of biology and the roles of women and minorities in science.

The mathematics collection holds artifacts from slide rules and flash cards to code-breaking equipment. More than 1,000 models demonstrate some of the problems and principles of mathematics, and 80 abstract paintings by illustrator and cartoonist Crockett Johnson show his visual interpretations of mathematical theorems.

Place: Washington

Engraved woodblock of a "Bird's-eye view of the Grand Canyon"

This engraved woodblock of “Bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon" was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as as Figure 72 (p.187) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon" was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as as Figure 72 (p.187) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution by John Wesley Powell (1834-1902).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
ID Number
1980.0219.0467
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0467

Engraved woodblock of "Bringing down the batten"

This engraved woodblock of “Bringing down the batten” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXVIII (p.390) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Bringing down the batten” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXVIII (p.390) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Matthews, Washington
Powell, John Wesley
block maker
A. P. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1365
catalog number
1980.0219.1365
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of "Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals"

This engraved woodblock of “Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXV (p.380) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXV (p.380) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Matthews, Washington
block maker
W. T. & B.
ID Number
1980.0219.1359
catalog number
1980.0219.1359
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of "Climbing the Grand Canyon"

This engraved woodblock of “Climbing the Grand Canyon” was prepared by F. S.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Climbing the Grand Canyon” was prepared by F. S. King and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 on page 98 of John Wesley Powell's Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Thomas Moran (1837-1926) was the original artist.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
original artist
Moran, Thomas
graphic artist
King, Francis Scott
maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.0474
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0474

Engraved woodblock of a "Bottle with geometric figures"

This engraved woodblock of a “Bottle with geometric figures” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 166 (p.116) in an article by William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, Colo
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Bottle with geometric figures” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 166 (p.116) in an article by William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, Colombia” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
graphic artist
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0219.1061
catalog number
1980.0219.1061
accession number
1980.0219

Sample of Plutonium-239

The discovery of nuclear fission in uranium, announced in 1939, allowed physicists to advance with confidence in the project of creating "trans-uranic" elements - artificial ones that would lie in the periodic table beyond uranium, the last and heaviest nucleus known in nature.
Description
The discovery of nuclear fission in uranium, announced in 1939, allowed physicists to advance with confidence in the project of creating "trans-uranic" elements - artificial ones that would lie in the periodic table beyond uranium, the last and heaviest nucleus known in nature. The technique was simply to bombard uranium with neutrons. Some of the uranium nuclei would undergo fission, newly understood phenomenon, and split violently into two pieces. In other cases, however, a uranium-238 nucleus (atomic number 92) would quietly absorb a neutron, becoming a nucleus of uranium-239, which in turn would soon give off a beta-particle and become what is now called neptunium-239 (atomic number 93). After another beta decay it would become Element 94 (now plutonium-239)
By the end of 1940, theoretical physicists had predicted that this last substance, like uranium, would undergo fission, and therefore might be used to make a nuclear reactor or bomb. Enrico Fermi asked Emilio Segre to use the powerful new 60-inch cyclotron at the University of California at Berkeley to bombard uranium with slow neutrons and create enough plutonium-239 to test it for fission. Segre teamed up with Glenn T. Seaborg, Joseph W. Kennedy, and Arthur C. Wahl in January 1941 and set to work.
They carried out the initial bombardment on March 3-6, then, using careful chemical techniques, isolated the tiny amount (half a microgram) of plutonium generated. They put it on a platinum disc, called "Sample A," and on March 28 bombarded it with slow neutrons to test for fission. As expected, it proved to be fissionable - even more than U-235. To allow for more accurate measurements, they purified Sample A and deposited it on another platinum disc, forming the "Sample B" here preserved. Measurements taken with it were reported in a paper submitted to the Physical Review on May 29, 1941, but kept secret until 1946. (The card in the lid of the box bears notes from a couple of months later.)
After the summer of 1941, this particular sample was put away and almost forgotten, but the research that began with it took off in a big way. Crash programs for the production and purification of plutonium began at Berkeley and Chicago, reactors to make plutonium were built at Hanford, Washington, and by 1945 the Manhattan Project had designed and built a plutonium atomic bomb. The first one was tested on July 16, 1945 in the world's first nuclear explosion, and the next was used in earnest over Nagasaki. (The Hiroshima bomb used U-235.)
Why is our plutonium sample in a cigar box? G.N. Lewis, a Berkeley chemist, was a great cigar smoker, and Seaborg, his assistant, made it a habit to grab his boxes as they became empty, to use for storing things. In this case, it was no doubt important to keep the plutonium undisturbed and uncontaminated, on the one hand, but also, on the other hand, to make it possible for its weak radiations to pass directly into instruments - not through the wall of some closed container. Such considerations, combined probably with an awareness of the historic importance of the sample, brought about the storage arrangement we see.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1941-05-21
Associated Date
1941-05-29
referenced
Segre, Emilio
Seaborg, Glenn T.
Kennedy, Joseph W.
Wahl, Arthur C.
Lewis, G. N.
University of California, Berkeley
maker
Segre, Emilio
Seaborg, Glenn
ID Number
EM.N-09384
catalog number
N-09384
accession number
272669

Magnetometer

This theodolite magnetometer is based on the design that the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey developed in 1892-1893. It is similar in many ways to the instrument that the Survey had been using since the early 1880s, but with several new features.
Description
This theodolite magnetometer is based on the design that the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey developed in 1892-1893. It is similar in many ways to the instrument that the Survey had been using since the early 1880s, but with several new features. One is the octagonal shape of the collimating magnets. Another is the black velvet screen that connects the telescope with the suspension box: this cuts off stray light and eliminates the problems that had been caused by the glass window in the earlier form. It is marked "FAUTH & CO. WASHN D.C. 941" and "T.M.C.I. 1." The serial number suggests that it was made around 1895.
This instrument belonged to the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Internal records indicate that D.T.M. purchased it from Kolesch & Co. in New York in 1906 (for $175), sent it to Bausch, Lomb, Saegmuller Co. for repairs (another $120), and kept it in service until 1919.
Ref: Edwin Smith, "Notes on Some Instruments Recently Made in the Instrument Division of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Office," Annual Report of the Superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for 1894, Appendix No. 8.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1895
maker
Fauth
Fauth & Co.
ID Number
1983.0039.04
accession number
1983.0039
catalog number
1983.0039.04

Leaflet on the Triangulator

This pink leaflet gives information about the trigonometric computing instrument stored with it (1986.0441.01).Currently not on view
Description
This pink leaflet gives information about the trigonometric computing instrument stored with it (1986.0441.01).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1954
maker
Roeder, George E.
ID Number
1986.0441.02
accession number
1986.0441
catalog number
1986.0441.02

Engraved woodblock of a "Basket with pendants"

This engraved woodblock of “Basket with pendants” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C; the print was published as Figure 313 (p.213) in an article by William H.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Basket with pendants” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C; the print was published as Figure 313 (p.213) in an article by William H. Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “A Study of the Textile Art in its Relation to the Development of Form and Ornament” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0219.0504
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0504

Engraved woodblock of a "Navajo blanket"

This engraved woodblock of a "Navajo blanket" was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 53 (p.387) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a "Navajo blanket" was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 53 (p.387) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
block maker
W. T. & B.
author
Matthews, Washington
ID Number
1980.0219.1180
catalog number
1980.0219.1180
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "House-burial"

This engraved woodblock of a “House-burial” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887); the print was published by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. in 1881 as Figure 27 (p. 175) in an article by Dr. H. C.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “House-burial” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887); the print was published by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. in 1881 as Figure 27 (p. 175) in an article by Dr. H. C. Yarrow (1840-1929) entitled “Mortuary Customs of the North American Indians” in the First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1879-80.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
author
Yarrow, Harry Crecy
ID Number
1980.0219.0084
catalog number
1980.0219.0084
accession number
1980.0219

Documentation Relating to WRICO Lettering Set

These three sheets list in detail the parts of a WRICO lettering set purchased by George A. Norton in July and September of 1970.For a related object, see 1989.0572.01.Currently not on view
Description
These three sheets list in detail the parts of a WRICO lettering set purchased by George A. Norton in July and September of 1970.
For a related object, see 1989.0572.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970
Maker
Geo. F. Muth Co., Inc.
ID Number
1989.0572.03
accession number
1989.0572
catalog number
1989.0572.03

Office of Personnel Management Jiffy Template 203 Flowcharting Template

This clear plastic template has eight-inch scales on the top and bottom. The top scale is divided to eighths of an inch, the bottom one to tenths of an inch. Twenty labeled flowcharting symbols are cut out of the space in between.
Description
This clear plastic template has eight-inch scales on the top and bottom. The top scale is divided to eighths of an inch, the bottom one to tenths of an inch. Twenty labeled flowcharting symbols are cut out of the space in between. A mark at the bottom right reads: JIFFY (/) TEMPLATE 203. A mark on the bottom left reads: Center for Information Management and Automation (/) OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT. A mark on the top right reads: Conforms to (/) ANSI (/) X3.5-1970. Distributed as a giveaway by a branch of the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management.
Collected at Government Computer Expo 85 in Washington, D.C.
References:
Accession file.
American National Standards Institute, Flowchart Symbols and Their Usage in Information Processing, ANSI X3.5-1970, ANSI, 1970.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985
ID Number
1985.3088.04
nonaccession number
1985.3088
catalog number
1985.3088.04

Engraved woodblock of hilltop pueblos

This engraved woodblock of hilltop pueblos was engraved and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.Currently not on view
Description
This engraved woodblock of hilltop pueblos was engraved and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
block maker
A. P. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1813
catalog number
1980.0219.1813
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of "The Warrior and his Bride"

This engraved woodblock of “The Warrior and his Bride” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 15 (p.44) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and I
Description
This engraved woodblock of “The Warrior and his Bride” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 15 (p.44) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution by John Wesley Powell (1834-1902).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
ID Number
1980.0219.0465
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0465

Engraved woodblock of three individuals, two on horses and one standing

This engraved woodblock of three American Indians, two on horseback and one standing, was engraved by F. S. King and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.Currently not on view
Description
This engraved woodblock of three American Indians, two on horseback and one standing, was engraved by F. S. King and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
block maker
V. W. & Co.
graphic artist
King, Francis Scott
ID Number
1980.0219.1242
catalog number
1980.0219.1242
accession number
1980.0219

Patent Model for Cylindrical Slide Rule Invented by George Fuller

This is the U.S. patent model for a cylindrical slide rule invented by George Fuller (1829–1907), a British civil engineer and professor of engineering at Queen's College, Belfast. Fuller received patents in Great Britain (no. 1044) in 1878 and in the United States in 1879. W.
Description
This is the U.S. patent model for a cylindrical slide rule invented by George Fuller (1829–1907), a British civil engineer and professor of engineering at Queen's College, Belfast. Fuller received patents in Great Britain (no. 1044) in 1878 and in the United States in 1879. W. F. Stanley of London manufactured the rule from 1879 until 1975, and it was marketed in the United States by Keuffel & Esser, Dietzgen, and other dealers.
The model has a wooden handle and shaft, with a wooden cylinder that slides up and down the shaft. A paper covered with scales fits around the cylinder. The lower edge of the cylinder has a scale of equal parts. The remainder bears a spiral scale divided logarithmically. A rectangular clear plastic pointer has broken from its attachment on the handle and is tucked into a red ribbon tied around the cylinder. A paper patent tag is marked: No. 291.246; 1879 (/) G. Fuller. (/) Calculators. (/) Patented Sept 2. (/) 1879. A printed description from the patent application of April 16, 1878, is glued to the back of the tag. The tag is attached to the handle with a red ribbon.
L. Leland Locke, a New York mathematics teacher and historian of mathematics, collected this patent model and intended it for the Museums of the Peaceful Arts in New York City. When that institution encountered financial difficulties in 1940, Locke gave a collection of objects, including this model, to the Smithsonian Institution.
For production models of this instrument, see 313751, 316575, and 1998.0046.01.
References: George Fuller, "Improvement in Calculators" (U.S. Patent 219,246 issued September 2, 1879); The Report of the President of Queen's College, Belfast, for the Year Ending October, 1876 (Dublin, 1877), 9, 29–30, 107–110; James J. Fenton, "Fuller's Calculating Slide-Rule," Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 22 (1886): 57–61; Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 42–43.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878
patentee
Fuller, George
maker
Fuller, George
ID Number
MA.311958
accession number
155183
catalog number
311958

Magnetometer

Theodolite magnetometers were designed for observations in the field, and so are relatively light, compact, of simple construction, and easily handled. Their tri-leg base can hold either the magnetometer or the theodolite that is used for astronomical alignment. The U.S.
Description
Theodolite magnetometers were designed for observations in the field, and so are relatively light, compact, of simple construction, and easily handled. Their tri-leg base can hold either the magnetometer or the theodolite that is used for astronomical alignment. The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey designed this particular form in the early 1890s, basing it on the instrument that the Survey had been using since the early 1880s but adding several new features. One is the octagonal shape of the collimating magnets. Another is the black velvet screen that connects the telescope with the suspension box: this cuts off stray light,and eliminates the problems caused by the glass window in the earlier form.
This example is marked "C. & G. S. NO. 18." The Survey produced it in 1892-1893 and made it available for L.A. Bauer's magnetic survey of Maryland at the end of the century. The base—marked "Bausch, Lomb, Saegmuller Co., ROCHESTER, N.Y. 2690"—must be a replacement, made after the formation of that firm in 1905.
The U.S. Geological Survey acquired this magnetometer in 1973 when it assumed control of the geomagnetic program of the federal government, and it transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1982.
Ref: Edwin Smith, "Notes on Some Instruments Recently Made in the Instrument Division of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Office," Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for the Year 1894, Appendix No. 8, p. 275.
L. A. Bauer, Maryland Geological Survey (Baltimore, 1897), p. 433.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1892-1893
maker
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
ID Number
1982.0671.08
accession number
1982.0671
catalog number
1982.0671.08

Game, Concentration Wildlife Edition

This "entertaining and approved educational game" consists of forty playing cards. Each card has a drawing of a plant or animal on it, with appropriate background. Instructions describe playing the game and give information about the wildlife shown.
Description
This "entertaining and approved educational game" consists of forty playing cards. Each card has a drawing of a plant or animal on it, with appropriate background. Instructions describe playing the game and give information about the wildlife shown. The cards and instructions are in a box. One card has a back that is a different color than the others.
The mathematician Olive C. Hazlett once owned this game. For related objects, see 1998.0314 and 2015.3004.
According to Dan Gifford, former archivist at the National Wildlife Foundation, the cards date from about 1959 (when the character Rick the Racoon (later called Ranger Rick) that is shown on the back of the cards was introduced) to 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1959-1961
ca 1959-1961
maker
National Wildlife Federation
ID Number
2015.0027.08
accession number
2015.0027
catalog number
2015.0027.08

Book, The American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac for the Year 1964

Astronomers have created and used tables since antiquity. In 1767, the British government began issuing an annual
Description
Astronomers have created and used tables since antiquity. In 1767, the British government began issuing an annual for use by mariners. In the early years of the United States, Americans relied on foreign almanacs – particularly those from Great Britain - for astronomy and navigation. However, in 1849 the U.S. Congress established the Nautical Almanac Office, which soon was publishing The American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. The ephemeris provided data for astronomers and surveyors, while the nautical part of the almanac was for mariners. From 1960, the computations in the British and American publications were identical, with different title pages and introductory material. This is The American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac for 1964.
This example of the publication was owned by the German- American statistician, mathematician and computer pioneer Carl Hammer (1914-2004).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1962
editor
Comrie, Leslie J.
maker
U.S. Government Printing Office
ID Number
1988.3105.28
nonaccession number
1988.3105
catalog number
1988.3105.28

Engraved woodblock of a "Basket with pendant buckskin"

This engraved woodblock of a “Basket with pendant buckskin” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 312 (p.213) in an article by William H.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Basket with pendant buckskin” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 312 (p.213) in an article by William H. Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “A Study of the Textile Art in its Relation to the Development of Form and Ornament” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0219.0850
catalog number
1980.0219.0850
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of an "Eskimo child's clothing"

This engraved woodblock of “Eskimo child’s clothing” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 512 (p.557) in an article by Franz Boas (1858-1942) entitled “The Central Eskimo” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Eskimo child’s clothing” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 512 (p.557) in an article by Franz Boas (1858-1942) entitled “The Central Eskimo” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Boas, Franz
ID Number
1980.0219.0477
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0477

Metric Conversion Card

In the 1970s, after metric units of measure had been adopted in Canada and Great Britain, some people in the United States advocated adoption of the metric system. The National Bureau of Standards of the U. S.
Description
In the 1970s, after metric units of measure had been adopted in Canada and Great Britain, some people in the United States advocated adoption of the metric system. The National Bureau of Standards of the U. S. Department of Commerce prepared this white plastic reference card to assist those wishing to use the unfamiliar units of measure. One side gave approximate conversion factors for computing metric measures from customary measures of length, area, mass and volume. This side also has a scale eight centimeters long divided to millimeters, and a chart with temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit along the top and temperatures in degrees centigrade along the bottom.
The other side of the card gives factors for converting from metric to common measures of length, area, mass, volume, and temperature. There also is a scale three inches long divided to 1/16th of an inch.
The card was a gift of machinist George A. Norton, a longtime employee of the National Museum of American History.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards
ID Number
1990.3231.02
catalog number
1990.3231.02
nonaccession number
1990.3231

Puzzle, Jig-A-Tee Puzzle

Dissection puzzles in the form of letters of the alphabet have been distributed from at least the early twentieth century. The four orange pieces of this cardboard puzzle can be arranged to form a letter T. The fit in a paper envelope.
Description
Dissection puzzles in the form of letters of the alphabet have been distributed from at least the early twentieth century. The four orange pieces of this cardboard puzzle can be arranged to form a letter T. The fit in a paper envelope. A mark on the envelope reads: An Intelligence Test! (/) JIG-A-TEE PUZZLE. It also reads: MERCHANTS TRANSFER (/) AND STORAGE CO. (/) 920 E Street Northwest (/) National 6900.
The puzzle advertises Merchants Transfer and Storage Company of Washington, D.C. The company moved to the address given in 1902. The puzzle lists a National 6900 phone number. This number could have been in use in the 1930s.
Compare MA.314637.2613.
References:
Jerry Slocum and Jack Botermans, Puzzles Old & New: How to Make and Solve Them, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1986, pp. 20-21.
“The T Puzzle,” en.wikipedia.org, accessed July 19, 2017.
Washington, D.C. city directories.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1930
ID Number
MA.335285
catalog number
335285
accession number
314637

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