Doom

The broadcast of War of The Worlds is unique because I feel like it has elements of both science fiction and science fact.  On the science fiction side, I feel that the advanced nature of the extraterrestrials lends itself to this category.  The time it took for the aliens to reach Earth seemed like science fiction as well.  I assume that the explosions on Mars that the story mentioned, were the launch of the alien creatures.  From the time of the explosions and the arrival of the alien cylinders, it seems that they moved through space at a speed of which we have no scientific capability.  Another science fiction item mentioned would have to be the heat rays that the aliens were using.

I think one of the only times that I can recall that science fact comes through is the observation of Mars. It makes sense that there would be people watching Mars for strange phenomenon, as there is a space rover on Mars right now searching the planet.  Whether there is life on the planet remains to be seen, but it would certainly be an exciting discovery if it were to be true.

A Land Before Time

Before reading about Crystal Palace I had no idea it existed.  It must of been a time of great fascination for the people involved in its inception and it had to of been exciting to see in person.  One thing that stood out about the Crystal Palace dinosaurs is that they didn't look much like the dinosaurs that we know today.  Though it was a step in the right direction, the dinosaurs that Benjamin Hawkins depicted were not very accurate.  Most of that probably has to do with the lack evidence that Hawkins had at the time rather than incompetency.  Charles Knight would correct some of these mistakes with his depictions of dinosaurs in the early 20th century.

My first experience with dinosaurs that I remember was through the Land Before Time movies.  The films center around the adventures of an Apatosaurus named Littlefoot and his band of friends.  I think most people my age would be familiar with this film franchise.  My next encounter with dinosaurs had to of been via the Jurassic Park films, which still are some of my favorite movies.  I've always been fascinated with dinosaurs since childhood and still am to this day.  A common sentiment that most people share today and most likely did back in the 1800's is that dinosaurs lived far before humans ever existed.  This is an idea that I do not hold to as I have done some reading on the subject and have found information to the contrary.  I won't go too deep into the subject (maybe a blog post for another time) but I will leave you with a few tidbits.

Paleontologist Mary H. Schweitzer discovered soft tissue in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in 2005.  Most scientists would tell you that it is impossible for soft tissue to survive in bones after thousands of years let alone millions.  Schweitzer has concluded from this discovery that soft tissue can indeed survive for millions of years under the right conditions.  I conclude from this, that dinosaurs were probably around much more recently than 65 million years ago.  A renegade thought indeed.  The last thing I will leave you with is a resource.  Dragons Or Dinosaurs by Darek Isaacs is a book that tackles this idea that dinosaurs and humans are separated by millions of years.  A great read if you're interested in this subject as Isaacs can explain his stance more eloquently than I could.

An Eye Toward the Stars

For my true nomination for the Fred Jones Museum of Art, I chose this portrait of John Winthrop.  Winthrop was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at the University of Harvard and like myself, was interested in Astronomy.  I chose this picture because of the telescope and it's significance to space and astronomy.  Winthrop tried to learn more about the distance between the Earth and Sun by observing the transit of Venus in the morning.  The previously mentioned event is referenced in the portrait by way of the hills in the background.  Those hills are where Winthrop and his team set up their instruments to observe Venus.

As a tour guide I would certainly mention the connection between the hills in the portrait and Winthrop's observation of Venus.  I would also mention that Winthrop received the first ever honorary doctorate laws (whatever that means) granted from Harvard.

Naga

I choose to nominate this majestic portrait of "Naga" for consideration of being added into the Fred Jones Museum of Art. Naga is a polar bear dog originating from the cartoon "Legend of Korra"   The setting of the portrait is one big reason why I chose her , as  I enjoy cold weather, so seeing snowy mountains in the background is relaxing to me.  As a tour guide I would be sure to point out Naga's species type as a chimera.  Chimera's are linked to the science of Alchemy which also makes this portrait relative to our class.