History on Display
History on Display: That’s Ruff
Sometimes you stumble across something small at a museum that overshadows the museum’s larger purpose in your mind. For instance, the only thing I remember about the historical museum in Galena, Illinois, is a half-smoked cigar that a child picked up after General Grant discarded it. The boy evidently treasured it for years, handing it…
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History on Display: Tipu’s Tiger
“Tipu’s Tiger” is one of the most popular exhibits at the Victoria and Albert Museum. For generations, British school children and American tourists have lined up to watch the large mechanical tiger maul a fallen British gentleman. Today the toy is too fragile to operate, but once upon a time the tiger roared and its…
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History on Display: The Horse
Now and then you stumble across history when you least expect it. Yesterday my friend Nancy and I visited Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History. Sometimes you visit a museum because there’s an exhibit you want to see. Other times you visit a museum because you want to hang out, talk, laugh a little . …
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