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Two bifurcated needles used for smallpox vaccination

Public Health & Hygiene

1968

2 Bifurcated needles for use in smallpox vaccination

Grand Junction Railway locomotive 'Columbine'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1845

Steam locomotive and tender, Grand Junction Railway, (London & North Western Railway), 2-2-2 No 49, "Columbine", designed by Alexander Allen, built at Crewe Works in 1845, withdrawn in 1902, cab separated from locomotive.

Nokia 1011 mobile telephone, 1992-1994

Telecommunications

1992-1994

Nokia 1011 mobile phone, manufactured by Nokia, Germany, 1992-1994. An example of the first mass produced phone to be available for use on the GSM digital mobile networks.

Sewing machine by Elias Howe

Textiles Machinery

c. 1846

Lockstitch sewing machine by Elias Howe, Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, made about 1846, the first sewing machine to be brought to England from America in that year.

Section of a CB1 manual telephone exchange switchboard, 1925-1960

Telecommunications

1925-1960

Section of a CB1 manual telephone exchange switchboard with positions for three operators, unknown maker, British, 1925-1960. In use at Enfield Telephone Exchange 22 July 1925 to 5 October 1960

Sony 'Trinitron' colour television, 1969-1970

Radio Communication

1969-1970

Sony 'Trinitron' colour television set, model type KV-1320UB, manufactured by Sony, Japan, 1969-1970. Serial No. 505704

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane

Aeronautics

1919

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane

The Munition Girls

Stanhope Alexander Forbes

1918

Painting, [The Munition Girls] / by Stanhope Alexander Forbes, 1918. Oil on canvas; 40x 50" or 103x127cm, in decorative gilt frame 132x152x8.5cm. Signed and dated bottom left. Female operatives making 4.5-inch shells at the Kilnhurst Steel Works of John Baker and Co. Ltd., Rotherham; steel billets are re-heated in a separate furnace and, still glowing, moved by hand to a steam hydraulic press for forging. Mr. George Baker commissioned this scene "to produce a memento for our women workers", and each of them received a framed copy of it.

Alarm whistle for use by psychiatric warders

Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry

1890-1914

Alarm whistle for use by Warders at Winson Green Mental Hospital, German Silver, by J. Hudson and Co., Birmingham 1890-1914.

Ancient Greek cupping cup

Classical & Medieval Medicine

400 BCE- 100 BCE

Bronze cupping cup, Greek, excavated in Syracuse, 1926

Power loom

Textiles Machinery

1926

Toyoda Automatic Loom, type G, made in 1926.

Foucault Pendulum for demonstrating the Earth's rotation

Astronomy

1988

Foucault pendulum designed by A.B. Pippard and built at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, including suspension, sustaining mechanism and bob

Pedoscope X-ray apparatus

Chiropody

1930-1955

Pedoscope X-ray apparatus, by the Pedoscope Co. Ltd., English, 1930-1955

Print of Henry Beighton's Engraving of a Newcomen Engine

Motive Power

1717-1725

Framed print of Henry Beighton's Engraving of the Newcomen Engine at Griff, 1717, Henry Beighton, England, 1717-1725. This engraving (the original of which was discovered in Worcester College, Oxford, in 1925) is the oldest known illustration of a Newcomen engine.

Canvas straitjacket for adults, London, England, 1930-1960

Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry

1930-1960

Canvas straitjacket for restraining adult patients, made in London, England, c.1930-1960, and used at the Frenchay Hospital, Bristol.

Packet of 20 'Three Castles' cigarettes

Smoking

1920-1950

Packet of 20 'Three Castles' cigarettes, manufactured by W D and H O Wills Limited, Bristol, England, 1920-1950

Small orrery by Benjamin Martin

Astronomy

1738-1777

Small orrery on mahogany stand by Benjamin Martin, England, mid-18th century. The orrery shows seven planets (to Uranus), but Uranus is thought to be a later addition.

Wall telephone with Blake transmitter, 1880-1900

Telecommunications

1880-1900

Wall telephone with Blake transmitter, unknown maker, possibly the United Telephone Company, British, 1880-1900

'Prorace' cervical cap

Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Contraception

1915-1925

Rubber cervical cap, called "Prorace", with tab for easy removal, size 2, by John Bell Croyden Ltd., English

Apollo 11, Lunar Module 'Eagle', 1969.

Space Technology

1963-1969

Replica Apollo 11 lunar excursion module

Contraceptive sponge

Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Contraception

1920-1960

Marine sponge, for use as vaginal pessary, possibly English, 1920-1960

Three-ring Enigma cypher machine in oak wood transit case

Radio Communication

1934

Three-ring Enigma cypher machine complete in oak wood transit case, together with original German battery (Serial number A6421/1937), unsigned, Germany, 1934 (see Note)

Packet of 20 'Churchman's No.1 Special' cigarettes

Smoking

1920-1950

Packet of 20 'Churchman's No.1 Special' cigarettes manufactured by W A and A C Churchman Limited, Ipswich, Suffolk, England, 1920-1950

Aveling and Porter steam traction engine

Road Transport

c.1871

Aveling and Porter steam traction engine, by Aveling and Porter Ltd., Rochester, Kent, England, 1870-1872. In 1860 Thomas Aveling invented the traction engine, offering an alternative to horses in agricultural haulage. Eleven years later, approximately when this engine was built, Aveling was improving his design for the self-propelling power plant. This engine was one of the first to be steered by its front wheels (earlier designs were steered by a fifth wheel) and to have gear-driven rear wheels. These features as well as the Aveling patented method of supporting the crankshaft were to become standard on all traction engines. This engine was renovated by Aveling-Barford Ltd in the 1950s before being donated to the Science Museum.

Three-valve radio receiver, 1922-1925

Radio Communication

1922-1925

Three-valve receiver used in a Derbyshire colliery test, unknown maker, Derby, England, 1922-1925. Ref. Wireless World 2/12/22 p.314

Pocket watch concealed in a memento mori

Anatomy & Pathology

1700-1936

Silver model of a human skull which opens up to show a pocket watch inside inscribed with skull and cross bones

Aerial tuning inductor from the Rugby Radio Station, 1943-1966

Radio Communication

1943-1966

Variable inductance coil for tuning the aerial of the very-low-frequency (16 kHz) transmitter (callsign GBR) installed at Rugby Radio Station, unknown maker, British, 1943-1966. Constructed in 1943 to the original 1926 design, and as modified in 1966, together with separate transformer and variometer with supporting framework.

Anderson-type obstetrical forceps, United Kingdom, 1901-1930

Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Contraception

1901-1930

Forceps, obstetrical, Anderson, steel, nickel-plated, by Reynolds and Branson, British, early 20th century

main frame, for Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) pilot model, 1949

Computing & Data Processing

1949

Main frame, for Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) pilot model, made at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, London, England, and some of the valves by Osram, Germany, 1949. The construction of the (ACE) pilot model was based on designs by Alan Turing.

Joseph Jackson Lister's microscope, London, England, 1826

Microscopy (Wellcome)

1826

The first achromatic microscope made for J.J. Lister by James Smith, London, 1826

'Memento mori' watch in the form of a skull, known as the 'Mary Queen of Scots' watch.

Clockmakers

1780-1850

Watch signed Moysant, Blois. The large silver case is shaped like a human skull and is pierced and also engraved all over with religious and mythological scenes as well as quotations in Latin from Horace. The mechanism, which includes a striking train, is hidden inside the skull. It has had considerable alteration and is now a conversion to lever escapement. The silver dial, which has two hands, is engraved with a scene of Saturn swallowing his children.

Swan necked glass retort

Medical Glass-ware

1760-1870

Green glass swan necked retort, English(?), 1760-1870

Thomson's (Lord Kelvin) First Tide Predicting Machine, 1876

Geophysics

1876

(Lord Kelvin) William Thomson's first tide-predicting machine, 1876. Built by A. Légé & Co., 20 Cross Street, Hatton Gardens, London.

Black Arrow R4 launch vehicle, 1971.

Space Technology

1971

Black Arrow R4 1972

Bowl from Hiroshima, Japan

Nuclear Physics

1935-1945

Porcelain bowl, retrieved from Hiroshima after the atomic bomb explosion, unsigned, Japan, August 1945

Wool jumper, knitted from 'Dolly': the first cloned cell animal

Biotechnology

1998

Jumper knitted from the first fleece of the sheep named 'Dolly' which was the first animal to be born as a result of cloning an adult cell. Design by the winner of a competition 'Do a Design for Dolly'

Ampoule of anti gas-gangrene serum

Public Health & Hygiene

1934

Single glass ampoule, one of four, of gas-gangrene serum, by Laboratoire due Val de Grace, French, 1934

Orrery made for the Earl of Orrery

Astronomy

1712-1713

Orrery or planetary model, c. 1712, made for Charles Boyle, the fourth Earl of Orrery by John Rowley, Fleet Street, London. The instrument was copied from one made by George Graham, and termed ‘orrery’ after its purchaser.

George III's philosophical table

King George III

1761-1762

Philosophical table made for King George III by George Adams, Fleet Street, London, 1761-62. A pillar in three pieces, two wooden rings and wooden nut; vertical board with ivory scale (one fixing screw and washer missing) and backing board for pendulum experiments are attached.

'Form M Revised Stanford-Binet Scales', IQ test, United States, 1937

Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry

1937-1960

'Complete Test Material Form M Revised Stanford-Binet Scales by Terman-Merrill', in wooden case containing form board, printed card material, and picture of child, by Houghten Mifflin Co. USA, 1937. See 1980-1429/4 for a complete description of this revision of the Stanford-Binet.

Oak wood statue of St Sebastian

Classical & Medieval Medicine

1520-1530

Statue of Saint Sebastian, oak, perhaps lower Rhenish, German, 1520-1530

Arkwright's prototype spinning machine, 1769.

Textiles Machinery

1769

Original spinning machine, Sir Richard Arkwright and John Kay, England, 1769.

V2 Rocket, A4 missile

Space Technology

1945

V2 Rocket, A4 missile, Germany, 1945

Artificial arm, below-elbow prosthesis

Orthopaedics

1895-1904

Right below elbow prosthesis made for a lady pianist, Elizabeth Burton. Blocked leather socket connected by jointed side steels to a long leather upper arm corset with four strap and buckle fastenings. Large wing nut on inner side of elbow, to lock the joint. Shaped wooden oval wrist with detachable wooden hand. Wide spread fingers, the index, middle and ring being shorter than normal, both thumb and little finger tips are padded. This design allowed the wearer to span an octave of a piano and was made by a Mr Royden of Abingdon St, Northampton, c.1904.

Strowger automatic telephone, 1901-1910

Telecommunications

1901-1910

Strowger table pattern telephone, manufactured by the Automatic Electric Company, Chicago, United States, 1901-1910

Toothbrush with horsehair bristles, London, England, 1870-1920

Dentistry

1870-1920

Toothbrush, pattern 33, horsehair with ivoride handle, by Savory and Moore, London, 1870-1920

Gecophone crystal detector radio set no. 1, 1923

Radio Communication

1923

Gecophone crystal detector radio set no. 1, complete with instruction handbook, made by the General Electric Company Limited, British, 1923. Instruction handbook not mentioned in the nominal file (4868), nor on the form 100. Polished mahogany case with a lift up lid and ebonite control panel with a tuning knob and a lever to adjust the detector. The Gecophone Crystal Set No 1 is a simple variometer turned crystal receiver and has connection points for the aerial, earth and headphones.

Electronic storm surge modelling machine

Oceanography

1960-2007

Electronic storm surge model, invented and constructed by Shizuo Ishiguro at the National Institute of Oceanography, Wormley, 1960-2007. The Electronic storm surge model is a depth-integrated single-layer two-dimensional electronic model based on hydrodynamic equations used to examine tidal surges, comprising three main units; a unit holding the input and output devices (Advance Instruments OS-240 oscilloscope, Commodore CBM 8032 Computer and Commodore 2031 5¼" floppy disk drive, and another two units (connected and wired together in a V formation) forming the mesh framework of the machine.

Robert Hooke type microscope

Microscopes

1671-1700

Compound microscope designed by Robert Hooke, 1671-1700 and thought to have been made by Christopher Cock, Long Acre, Covent Garden, London, but not signed. Part of an accessory for manipulating specimens has survived and the objective lens is a modern replacement made in 1965.

Penicillium mould presented by Alexander Fleming

Biotechnology

1935

A sample of Penicillium mould presented by Alexander Fleming to Douglas Macleod, 1935.