BBC - A History of the World

A piece of a computer This is a piece of the CDC 7600 Polstar computer that was used at GCHQ and played a vital role in the work there. The ... Contributed by Individual
Hand carved American prisoner of war box The box was hand carved by an American prisoner of war in Mill Prison near Plymouth. The initials on the box are S.C. ... Contributed by Individual
30s O/S 1 InchMap Ellis Martin cover art When World War 1 ended there was a massive upsurge in cycling, rambling, rail & bus excursions and, for those with ... Contributed by Individual
Anne Swithinbank's Book about Kew My object is a rather scarce old book called the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew by W.J.Bean, published in 1908. This was ... Contributed by Individual
Chris Beardshaw's Lawn Mower My object is responsible for shaping the very concept of the English garden. Developed by a curious inventor who lived ... Contributed by Individual
Pippa Greenwood's Lawn Shears I'm no historian, nor am I an antiques fanatic, but these lawn edging shears are something I adore. They are, I am ... Contributed by Individual
Matthew Biggs' Mattock The earliest mattocks were deer antlers but later evolved into several basic designs. They have a broad blade, at 90 ... Contributed by Individual
Matthew Wilson's Plastic Plant Pots My choice is an object of no aesthetic quality whatsoever, and of our recent history, but one which has revolutionised ... Contributed by Individual
Eric Robson's Allen Scythe In a corner of one of my sheds is a machine which I keep as a rusting reminder of the fallibility of professional ... Contributed by Individual
Cecil Sharp's 3-hole pipe Cecil Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early ... Contributed by Individual
Navigator/Observer's Flying Log Book This is my father's log book from his time in the RAF in World War II. He kept a meticulous record of all his flights, ... Contributed by Individual
Silver Snuffbox from Siege of Lucknow My husband's great uncle, Lt. Nowell Salmon RN, was involved in bringing naval guns to the relief of Lucknow. En route, ... Contributed by Individual
Russian revolutionary plate Russian plate decorated with images and Marxist slogans to celebrate the Russian Revolution Contributed by The British Museum
Suffragette-defaced penny Penny minted in 1903, and illegally stamped by suffragettes with the slogan Contributed by The British Museum
A Wooden Horse and Cart I was 5 years old in 1944 when I noticed a body of men marching past our house on Dovercourt Green each day. My Gran ... Contributed by Individual
Sudanese slit drum Wooden drum from central Africa, inscribed with Islamic markings in Sudan and brought to Britain in 1898 Contributed by The British Museum
Hokusai's 'The Great Wave' 'Under the Wave, off Kanagawa', a print by Katsushika Hokusai, perhaps the most reproduced of all Japanese prints Contributed by The British Museum
Early Victorian tea set Early Victorian teaset with a milk jug, sugar bowl and teapot produced by Wedgwood Contributed by The British Museum
Jade bi Ancient Jade bi, around 3,000 years-old, inscribed with characters by its later owner, the Chinese Qianlong Emperor Contributed by The British Museum
Australian bark shield Shield made of bark from Botany Bay, Australia collected in 1770 on Captain Cook's First Voyage Contributed by The British Museum
Hawaiian feather helmet A feather helmet that probably belonged to a Hawaii chief and was brought to Britain by Captain Cook Contributed by The British Museum
Akan drum West African drum found in Virginia, USA in the 1700s probably brought from Africa on a slave trading voyage Contributed by The British Museum
Shadow puppet of Bima Puppet of Bima, one of the heroes of the Indian epic the Mahabharata, used in shadow theatre performances in Indonesia Contributed by The British Museum
Shi'a religious parade standard Iranian standard carried in Shi'a Islam processions, commemorating the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Contributed by The British Museum
Pieces of eight The most common silver coin of late sixteenth and seventeenth century Spain became the world's first global currency Contributed by The British Museum
Kakiemon elephants Porcelain elephants made in the Japanese Kakiemon style for the European market Contributed by The British Museum
Benin plaque: the oba with Europeans Brass plaque showing the Oba (king) of Benin in West Africa with attendants and European traders Contributed by The British Museum
The mechanical galleon Clockwork automated model of a galleon, designed to move along a grand table during a banquet Contributed by The British Museum
Durer's 'Rhinoceros' Print by artist and pioneering print-maker Albrecht Durer showing the arrival in Portugal of an Indian rhinoceros Contributed by The British Museum
Jade dragon cup Cup that belonged to Ulugh Beg, ruler of the central Asian Timurid Empire, and thought to be able to detect poison Contributed by The British Museum
Inca gold llama Small gold figurine created as a religious offering, possibly in a mountain top sacrifice - part of an Inca state ritual Contributed by The British Museum
Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent Imperial signature monogram of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent who ruled the Ottoman Turkish Empire from 1520 to 1566 Contributed by The British Museum
Ming banknote Banknote worth 1000 bronze coins. China was one of the first countries to develop a tradition of printing money Contributed by The British Museum
Menu Card, Fox Films 1st dinner 8/7/16 My grandfather Edward Grattan Milloy attended this dinner as a cinema owner in the NW of England. It was the inaugral ... Contributed by Individual
iron horseshoe It is an iron horseshoe, period unspecified, but not modern (could be Roman). Found in the river Thames at the London ... Contributed by Individual
Beaker Basket ornaments Leicestershire Gold was the first metal worked by man. Gold objects were high status, reserved for important people. We have Gold ... Contributed by Museum
A women's suffrage meeting programme This is a programme that belonged to my great aunt(on my father's side)for a procession to the Albert Hall, followed by ... Contributed by Individual
Pressed Glass - Carnival This butter dish was made during the 1920s by Sowerby's Ellison Glass Works at Gateshead. It is in marigold “Sunglow�? ... Contributed by Individual
My Uncle's World War Two Wrist Watch My Uncle Victor was a Mid Upper Gunner on a Halifax mkII based in Snaith, Yorkshire when he was killed along with all ... Contributed by Individual
Snakeskin shoes These shoes belonged to my grandmother Gally. Made in India, they were part of her wedding trousseau once she had made ... Contributed by Individual
Small porcelain figure of dog Made by Royale Stratford Porcelain of Stoke as a one off piece after I had tried to buy one of their standard pieces. ... Contributed by Individual
Renaissance Lute 6 Course This object is a reconstruction of a renaissance lute. These instruments were extremely popular in the renaissance and ... Contributed by Individual
A carving for Christmas After the war and before they went home, German prisoners who were housed at Honiton were assigned to work on local ... Contributed by Museum
Pharmaceuticals devices beginning 1900 Dear sirs I am writing from the part of my father who's a retired veterinary.He found these old phials in a store in ... Contributed by Individual
A Lithuanian 120-year-old rolling pin This is a wooden rolling pin that was made by hand by my greatgrandfather in Lithuania and given to his daughter, my ... Contributed by Individual
Mahogany games table This mahogany games table was made in Greenock around 1817 by J. H. Buchanan. It contains a compendium of games with ... Contributed by Museum
Air movement order - Burma 1945 This air movement order authorised my father's evacuation in 1945 from Burma. He'd fought with the Kings Own Scottish ... Contributed by Individual
RMS Queen Mary teaspoon This teaspoon was bought for me by my parents when we emigrated to the USA after WW11. We were on the first passenger ... Contributed by Individual
Mercury Stick Barometer Mercury Stick Barometer made by Horn & Thornthwaite instrument makers. The body is made of oak with displays for the ... Contributed by Individual
A Japanese Soldier's Death Drawing My Uncle George{my Mother's young brother}was a guard in Changi Jail during the War Crimes trials of Japanese Soldiers. ... Contributed by Individual

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Telling a history of our world through objects

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