norse air is an airline based in sandton , johannesburg , south africa .

it operates passenger and cargo charter services , as well as aircraft leasing and acmi charters out of lanseria airport , johannesburg .

norse air

any news on the rumour that norse air ' s days are almost over .
not true , bathtub200 . there may be issues between the original shareholder and lonhro , but norse air has not been
liquidated
. what did happen is that the crewing contract in gabon for the saab 340 was terminated because the operator wanted the norse air crews to bust fdp and they refused with the full backing of norse air management . norse air then terminated the contract .
norse has added to its growing portfolio of joint venture companies with the formation of newport norse .
hi guys . i have the oppurtunity to fly for norse air in afghanistan on a b200 . can any good souls out there give me some more info on accomodation , pay , general conditions with norse air and the length of tours . i hear that they pay well . 340
please keep gesture use to a minimum so as not to distract the air crew .
founded in spring of 2015 by volmarr njörðarson ( volmarrgoth vollmar ) . the name of the airlines refers to the world tree in norse mythology . the logo for yggdrasil air depicts the norse world tree , along with thor ' s hammer , and odin ' s two ravens . yggdrasil air is head - quartered in second norway lufthavn .
on friday 11th march , east anglian air ambulance ( eaaa ) celebrated the arrival of its new helicopter , with norse sponsoring the catering for the many guests invited to watch it land .
for more information on the work of the east anglian air ambulance , visit urltoken or call 08450 669 999 . you can also follow them on twitter at @ eastangliairamb or ‘like’ their facebook page – east anglian air ambulance charity .
balmoral , has any of their management moved across into norse air ? some interesting storys about them . they did so well for a while and rumour has it management was responsible for there ending ?
norse hall is located at 111 n . e . 11th , portland , or 97232
saasfo - sorry bud , unfortuanately its true , norse air was liquidated and lohnro did pull out their g3 and saab ' s . sorry about that , at least theres lots of work around for the crew !
* all positions are roleplay only , there is no actual pay other than tips . employees get to keep 100 % of all tips received . pilots provide own uniform and aircraft . yggdrasil air provides airplane paints . yggdrasil air provides stewardesses with a uniform .
major events international ( mei ) has named air partner , the global aviation services group , as the ‘best executive travel solutions provider’ , . . .
american gods launches on amazon prime video on monday 1st may , with new episodes following weekly . episodes will air on us channel starz on sunday nights .
does anyone have anymore info on what is happening at norse air ? i heard that they possibly may be stopping ops tomorrow . two of my associates know several people who have been made redundant . what is happening to contract companies in south africa ? : confused :
hi everyone , i recently met a pilot from norse air on my way on tour but i didnt have an opportunity to talk to him for too long . ive not heard about them till now , can anyone tell me what they fly , what their reputation is like and any other information ?
aal , i only became aware of the full situation with lonrho and norse yesterday and you are correct in most of what you have stated . this is certainly not looking good for norse or their directors , but i certainly hope that they manage to keep their heads above water as there are many good people working for norse however , i disagree that the saabs are a liability as they are great aircraft which could have made norse a lot of money if they had been placed in the correct environment and on viable contracts .
norse will be investing in 23 new maintenance vehicles to deliver the services and around 200 staff will be transferring into the new company .
norse sales director geoff tucker said , “norse is always proud to be a sponsor and supporter of eaaa . we were delighted to have been able to help celebrate the arrival of this new helicopter , which will play a major role in saving lives across the region . ”
norse commercial services has formed a joint venture , suffolk norse , to take over the management of suffolk county council’s school bus fleet . under a ten - year £10 . 3million agreement suffolk norse will from 1 february take over 70 vehicles and 130 staff currently employed by suffolk county council . norse commercial services – which is owned by norfolk county council - will own 80 per cent of the new company ; the balance will be owned by suffolk county council . trevor whiting , service manager with suffolk council’s passenger fleet department , becomes md of the new company . norse commercial director paul bonham says : “this is an ideal fit with our existing coach and minibus operations in norfolk , and will represent good value for money for suffolk tax payers .
hi there jelly ' d ' . maybe you have another nickname i might know . i ' ve heard of norse air . mixed replies . sounds like the crew is not very happy there . pay sounded good but i hear the management is not so hot . usual contract company bull . those guys never change . . . . . : yuk :
zoltan , is the air up there getting a bit thin for you ? : zzz : the company that was liquidated is lobtrans , which owns shares in one of the sf34 ' s . others were temporarily grounded while waiting for a signature from the committee against aviation to extend an sb as a result of saab not being able to provide spares for the sb . actual facts are : 1 . the norse air giii is still flying . 2 . all the rest of the saab ' s are flying ( except those without crew ) . 3 . lonrho has not pulled out their investment .
shortly after the war ended , grieg lodge threw another party . this time to celebrate the burning of the mortgage . norse hall was finally paid in full .
you will find odin all over the place in the history of europe and scandinavia . he is widely revered in germanic and norse mythology , and you can trace him all the way back to the roman occupation of germania and the viking age . you’ll spot him in old norse literature from the 13th century and in pagan mythology .
to learn more about sons of norway grieg lodge activities or norse hall rentals , click on the appropriate button above . for contact information and rentals , click here .
árbær open air museum - address : kistuhylur 4 , 110 reykjavík - open : open every day from 10 - 17 in june - august , and from 13 - 17 in september - may . - admission is free for city card holders
norse commercial services has eleven other joint venture subsidiaries with councils in barnsley , devon , enfield , great yarmouth , medway , norwich , norfolk , suffolk , waveney and wellingborough .
i heard that there is another company starting up in south africa under the balmoral name . i think it ' s called balmoral air charter and rumour has it that robin reid ' s involved . don ' t know how true it is though .
century , she told us about the royal air force base that once formed the basis of unst’s economy . “but they shut that down some years back , and that left a terrible hole , ” she said . “viking tourism is meant to fill it . ”
odin , who is widely revered in germanic and norse mythology , is the god of war , wisdom , poetry , magic and death . he is the all - father of the nordic gods .
major events international ( mei ) has named air partner , the global aviation services group , as the ‘best executive travel solutions provider’ , as part of its major events summit that took place in liverpool . now in its fourth year , the summit brings together experts from current and . . .
norsk folkemuseum is located at bygdøy in oslo and has an open - air museum with 160 historic buildings . a main attraction is gol stave church from around 1200 . in - door exhibits feature norwegian folk costumes , folk art , church art and sami culture . temporary exhibits , audience programs and activities for children all year .
dave avnit is still involved and lonhro still owns 50 % of the company . they also own the g3 , zs - lah . it is in for a major check and a refurb , plus the post about corrosion is true . norse has some really great people working for them , including sej dunning , who any ex - rossair pilot would hold in the highest regard . they also have strong saaf contracts using russian aircraft . dave is a survivor and hopefully he will keep norse together .
i used to fly for balmoral , norse is where most of our aircraft / crew went to when balmoral closed its doors . don ' t know much about their operation now but check the website urltoken i might be able to get some contacts for you .
from dream to reality : many thanks to portia hall , bob lee , christie stilson , betty moorman , kathy gasperson , howard johnson , audrey patterson , toni linne , edna koroch , and mike thompson for their invaluable assistance on the history of norse hall .
“we are delighted to be working with newport city council in this new joint venture , to deliver a wide range of services” commented managing director peter hawes . “this latest agreement reinforces norse’s position as one of the foremost groups in running innovative local authority partnerships . ”
yggdrasil air ( icao : ygg / iata : ya / call - sign : yggdrasil ) is a virtual airline company in second life® . the airline is owned by volmarr njörðarson . it serves the second life® grid with travel between all airports across all the mainland continents . they have a group which passengers may join to hear about scheduled flights . they also are available for charter flights .
another way of exploring what reykjavík used to look like is with a visit to árbær open air museum where you’ll find a large display of ancient icelandic houses . the museum consists of more than 20 buildings that have been preserved and relocated to form a small town , a square and a farm , giving visitors a sense of how icelanders used to live before the country underwent its period of industrialisation .
was listening to 11300khz last night and heard one of their aircraft . callsign was nrx1001 and was routing benghazi to nairobi with an eta of 2251z . gave type as il76 and registration mark yu - ami . i show yu - ami as belonging to kosmas air though . not of any particular use i know , just thought i ' d mention it ! first time i ' ve heard one ! r
the beginning in 1928 , on the eve of the grand opening of norse hall , john o . johnson of the grieg lodge building committee wrote in the souvenir program , “the thought of building a lodge hall was one of our early problems , and as the years went by , the vision of a home of our own was constantly before us . ”
“wednesday is my day , ” he tells shadow by way of introduction . this is the first big clue that shadow is dealing with a god , because the day wednesday or “wodensday” is named after odin , who also goes by the old saxon name wodan . in old norse he’s called oden , which has become onsdag ( wednesday ) in modern scandinavian countries .
and that’s how it has always been . from the very beginning , the members of grieg lodge have worked hard – first to build and then to preserve their beloved home . norse hall has been both a treasure and a taskmaster to each generation of its caretakers , demanding much , but also offering much in return as a touchstone that holds its family together .
merlin m . no need to get in a huff my boy , you might use up the last bit of oxygen up here . . : ooh : i stand corrected , the banks foreclosed on norse , not liquidated yet , they have a grace period to sort themselves out . . . anyone remember rossair ? hopefully it turns out better than that though . .
1940s apart from special events , the norse hall ballroom was the scene of a dance every saturday night . by 1940 , the hall’s signature neon sign had been installed and was a bright beacon on the weekends of the hall’s activity . when world war ii began , and germany occupied norway , fundraisers were held at norse hall to support the norwegian resistance . meanwhile , the grieg lodge leikarringen group performed at bond rallies and at fort lewis to entertain the troops . according to toni linne , a member of leikarringen at the time , “most of the leikarringen groups disbanded during the war , but grieg lodge’s leikarringen has operated continuously since it started . it’s been the cement at this lodge . ” the group lost its accordion player in battle .
meanwhile , the lodge’s leikarringen dance group , founded in the early 1930s , and the norwegian glee club gave regular performances at the hall . in 1938 , the seventeenth of may celebration at norse hall was a two - day affair that so impressed the editor of the oregon journal , marshall n . dana , he wrote about it the next day in the editorial page :
throughout these years , a variety of non - profit and ethnic groups rented norse hall for meetings and events , including the letter carriers union , the submarine veterans , sesame dance group , norske runddansere , the danish lodge , swedish linnea , league of swedish societies , daughters of norway , and the scandinavian ladies’ and men’s chorus . many are still with the hall today .
yet in downtown kirkwall , where the romanesque cathedral , built of sandstone , houses the relics of st . magnus erlendsson , the norse - descended earl of orkney who was martyred after an unsuccessful battle with a rival chieftain in the early 12th century , and where miniature viking ships still cap the post office lintel , donna heddle had no doubt the connection went considerably deeper than mere marketing .
although many heritage halls were built in the early part of the 20th century by the scandinavians who came to america , few remain today . those that do represent a legacy reminding us of their commitment and dreams for the future – something norse hall’s builders knew a lot about , and still communicate to us today as we work and play within the walls they constructed . – j . d . whipple
1990s few major building projects took place in the 1990s at norse hall , but many repairs , equipment purchases and upgrades were undertaken . the volunteer office was created , and the cloak room became a shop ( “landhandel” ) and computer room . the maple floor in the hallway upstairs was uncovered and restored to its original condition , hinting at what might be hidden beneath the tile flooring in the old library .
1980s in 1985 , grieg lodge , which was founded in 1910 , celebrated another landmark – its 75th birthday . the lodge’s diamond jubilee was marked by a huge sit - down dinner in the ballroom . further building projects were also pursued during this decade . the air conditioning system was added , the “new kitchen” was excavated and built , and the library was moved downstairs next to the main dining room . once again , most of the labor for these projects was handled in - house , and as bob lee notes , ” big john jensen” played a key role in all of them .
but neither scandi chic , nor the newer , kinder version of the vikings had made it to the nearby town of wick , which gets its name from the old norse word for bay . asked why the hotel where she worked was called the norseman , the receptionist admitted that she wasn’t sure . “because they came here raping and rampaging through the hills ? ” she asked . “you know , doing viking things . ”
he wasn’t sure what to make of his ancestors’ past . “when i was a kid , the ties to the norse felt stronger , ” he said as he stopped to stick his nose in a bag of hops . “there were all these words we used , and the whalers would take our men because they knew our seafaring skills went back to them . now sometimes i think it’s just for the tourists . but everybody in shetland is still proud of their viking heritage . ”
scotland is perhaps not the most obvious place to look for traces of nordic culture . but in the months leading up to the nation’s vote on independence from england last september , there was talk of it everywhere . although it had been six centuries since any part of scotland was in norse hands , many nationalists were suggesting that viking heritage formed part of the separate identity that lay behind an independence bid , which , although it failed at the polls , has grown stronger since the referendum .
the next two years were consumed with raising the money needed for the lodge’s new home at 11th & couch . finally , as the nation teetered on the brink of the stock market crash and the great depression , norse hall was completed in 1928 at a cost of $ 65 , 000 . designed by elmer feig , an architect known for his modern , art deco style , the elegant spanish renaissance building covered a quarter of a city block and was among the most imposing structures of the time on the city’s east side .
1930s from that point on norse hall was an important focal point for the norwegian community and other scandinavian groups which used the facility for meetings and events . but times were difficult and it wasn’t easy to make the mortgage payments on the hall . once again the ladies responded with grass - roots fundraisers : dinners , lunches and handicraft sales . the men donated their labor for whatever maintenance or repairs needed to be done . and as howard johnson recalls , “we were true tightwads through it , which scandinavians are famous for . ”
1960s & 1970s in the decade between the early 60s and early 70s significant remodeling projects were undertaken to upgrade and modernize the aging building . it was during this time that many of the original elements of norse hall were changed or sacrificed . a huge mahogany bar with a brass foot rail was removed from the basement , and the oslo lounge was created where the ladies lounge had been on the main floor . the open balcony surrounding the ballroom was sealed , lighting fixtures were changed to fluorescent strips , ceilings were lowered , aluminum windows went in on the upper floor .
but natural retreats , a hotel development company , has made the place much more appealing by taking a gothic - style inn and adding several nordic - style wooden houses onto the side . each building is called a toft , a norse - derived word for farmhouse or homestead . the tofts are painted different colors and contain apartments , which comprise the accommodations . the rooms are spare and tasteful , with the streaming light and clean lines that are the hallmarks of scandinavian design . “it’s quite straightforward , ” said adam gough , natural retreats ’ head of technical services , when asked about nordic style . “there is a lot of history and strong links with scandinavia . ”
it wasn’t hard to see why she persisted in that image . wick , which robert louis stevenson once referred to as “the meanest of mean towns , ” has little in the way of tourist attractions except for a ruined castle that was probably built in the 12th century , presumably by the norse earl , harald maddadson . one of the oldest and best preserved in scotland , the castle’s tower still reaches four stories up , and its defensive ditches and perilous cliffs keep it cut off from the mainland . it is a stirring place , desolate and imposing , and not at all hard to imagine as the kind of stronghold from which one might have set out marauding .
the kabul contract is going strong . . . . it is now in the hands of ex balmoral robin reid . the percentages of ownership may have changed and there is a new name involved , but there are more a / c on their way to kbl . current machines are 3 x be20 , 2 x b190 , 2 x bell212 and even an mi - 8 . salaries are around $ 4500 for fo ' s . tours are normally around 2 months on 1 off & 6 weeks on & 6 off for captains . regarding norse , if anyone knows the cp , he does not bullshit . there is some heavy metal in the pipeline and here ' s to their success . . . . same old boardroom barrel - rolls all contract companies go thru . . .
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nrx1001 yuami flew today hkjk - ct arrived at about 0600 . been alot of il76 ' s around lately . mostly flying to fmch under saaf callsigns .
nrx1001 yuami flew today hkjk - ct arrived at about 0600 . been alot of il76 ' s around lately . mostly flying to fmch under saaf callsigns . thanks for the info ! r
can anybody confirm or deny that norseair has been liquidated last friday and also that lonrho has pulled all the financial backing .
who know ' s what ' s going on , but i had a call today informing me that execujet is going under . so who ' s going under and who ' s on top ? ? ? ? ? makes for intresting conversation : - )
from the horse ' s mouth . all bs and rumour , except for the part about a certain saab 340 owner .
from the horse ' s mouth . all bs and rumour , except for the part about a certain saab 340 owner . . .
s ' cuse sir , perhaps you erroneously ommitted :
and a certain highly aggitated major european investor
. ! ! !
the giii is not flying as it is in maintenance and has lots of corrosion on it . . not gonna fly anytime soon from what i hear . .
the corrosion is worse than they thought and looks like that giii not in good shape , but they looking at a giv . . some crew gonna b happy to get on that machine ! : ok : o ` l robin reid still lining the pockets there then . . ? : eek :
hi all , i have lost touch with sej since he was in singapore . does anyone have a current email address for him ? please drop me a private message if you can ! thanks !
heard the same rumor yesterday from our reps attending the raytheon conference . if true , this is not good news , as peoples jobs and livelihood are at stake . i hope that it is just that , a rumor - there are already too many pilots and aviation ops people looking for jobs , cv ' s are flying in at about 20 per day . good luck to all of you .
the economic crisis is coming to bear on sa aviation . . . things will get a whole lot worse before they get better i reckon .
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not to give away any massive spoilers , but if you have watched the first episode of american gods – or even if you have only seen the trailer – you’ve probably worked out by now that ian mcshane’s mr wednesday is… a god .
however , if you don’t want to know which god in particular , stop reading now .
his two ravens are huginn and muninn – thought and memory – who tell him all the things happening around the world . he also has the wolves geri and freki . his spear is named gungnir . in some stories he’s married to frigg ( a goddess ) and jord ( the earth ) and he has many sons . his eldest son is sometimes known as thor .
you may have noticed that one of his eyes is a little different . that’s nothing to do with mcshane : it’s actually a glass eye , because odin gave his real eye in exchange for a drink from the well of wisdom .
odin is usually shown as long - bearded , with a cloak and a big hat . but this is the 21st century , so mr wednesday gets to wear a suit and shave his beard off and sometimes wear a little sunhat to protect his weathered face .
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it was a dream they held for nearly two decades . from the time the lodge’s charter was granted in 1910 , the membership held meetings in a variety of halls in portland including the alisky building at 3rd & morrison ; the selling hirsch building at west park & washington ; the good templor hall ; and finally the pythian building at west park & yamhill .
in the early 1920s , grieg lodge began in earnest to plan for a permanent home . as word spread through the community , several opportunities arose to buy space with other organizations or purchase existing halls which were being sold , among them the wow hall and the swedish harmony hall . but each time , the membership rejected the idea , preferring instead to stick with the plan to create their own home despite the greater difficulty and expense .
a building committee of three was appointed in late 1924 , and within 3 weeks the group had found a 100×100 - ft . site they considered suitable at 11th & n . e . everett . the price was $ 5 , 000 cash . a special meeting was called on november 15 in order to vote on this momentous decision . a motion to buy the property passed by a vote of 48 to 5 .
in order to pay for the site , the lodge liquidated the majority of its total cash assets including funds in checking and savings accounts , and liberty bonds bought during world war i – a bold move for the norwegian - americans . by february , 1925 the sale was finalized , and the lodge began to plan fundraising activities that would go towards financing a building . the ladies social club was charged with organizing bazaars , pie socials , rummage sales and card parties . a raffle was also planned , offering as the grand prize a “combination rail and steamship passage to norway . ”
but a twist was yet in store . just as the 11th and everett street property was settled , the lodge received an offer to buy it for $ 6500 . the membership was stunned and rejected the proposal . but the building committee began to look at alternative properties in the neighborhood , just in case . they found three , including a 100×100 - ft lot for $ 6 , 000 at the corner of 11th and couch . in march a new offer to buy the everett street site was received – this time for $ 7250 . it was an offer the lodge could not and did not refuse . franz bakery expanded there shortly after .
the grand opening celebration was thoroughly covered by the local press , the oregonian and the oregon journal . the mayor of portland , george baker was on hand for the festivities as was the president of the supreme lodge of sons of norway , judge t . o gilbert and the district 2 president , halvor quam . the program included speeches , musical and singing performances in both english and norwegian , and a dance to the lloyd nichols 7 - pc . orchestra . fifty new members were inducted into the lodge , and a chicken dinner was held the following day .
“some of the best entertainment this or any city could witness was that presented by the united norwegian societies… . . the folk dance by a graceful girl in costume before a great oil painting of a norwegian fjord was so realistic that one might imagine himself on the shore of the liberty - loving country… . norway is not a great country . its 124 , 000 square miles contain a population of less than 3 , 000 , 000 . but it has given to the world a great nationality – industrious , peace - loving , intellectual and patriotic . and among the ablest and most loyal of american citizens are those who claim scandinavian background . ”
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see what norwegians and scandinavians are up to in portland - visit our new meetup page . where scandinavians make events happen !
the american book center . independent , family - owned bookstore since 1972 . located in amsterdam and the hague
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abc ' s betty the book machine is not just for books that already exist : we can turn your digitally formatted text into a book . submit your manuscript to a publisher in book form , or have your dissertation , family cookbook , memoirs , blog or poems printed and bound - now also in color !
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what are the best museums in reykjavík ? check out our list of the 11 best museums in reykjavík and find out where you should go to learn about icelandic history and culture .
iceland is known for its stunning landscape , but equally impressive is the country ' s history and culture . in reykjavík , there are numerous museums and exhibitions where you can soak up some knowledge about iceland . so if you ' re spending some time in reykjavík , why not check out a museum or two ( or nine ) ?
. you ' ll also receive a discount to numerous restaurants , free admission on the city buses and a free entry to reykjavík ' s swimming pools .
starting off this list is the saga museum ( sögusafnið ) , where history comes alive ! this relatively small museum is jam - packed with information about the viking settlers , and it uses life - like replicas of icelandic historical figures to recreate key moments in iceland’s history .
as you enter the museum , you are given an audioguide , in either icelandic , english , french , german , russian , spanish or swedish , that plays automatically as you walk past the realistic figures .
this is a great stop either before or after a tour of the country as you’ll learn about the rich history of the places you are about to visit or have just seen , such as how iceland’s parliament , alþingi , was founded in 930 at þingvellir national park , and what lead to a law - speaker named þorgeir to throw idols into goðafoss waterfall .
the replicas in the museum were created based on descriptions found in the viking sagas and chronicles , and the clothes , weapons and everyday objects have all been hand - crafted using traditional methods . make sure you ' ll bring your camera because after the tour , you ' ll have the chance to dress up as a viking in these hand - crafted clothes . helmet , chainmail , sword and all !
on your reykjavík visit , you have undoubtedly seen the iconic perlan building which towers over the city from the top of a hill in the öskjuhlíð area . the hemispherical structure has for decades provided visitors with an unmatched , panoramic view of the capital area from its observation deck , and now , guests can also immerse themselves in the wild icelandic nature , without leaving reykjavík city .
perlan museum opened its first exhibit , the ‘ glaciers and ice cave’ exhibition , in july 2017 . the presentation begins with a visit to an ice cave that has been constructed inside one of the hot water tanks on which the perlan dome sits . visitors are urged to use their senses during the tour ; not only watch but to touch the ice , listen to the sounds , and feel the cold . rest assured , you will be provided with warm clothes for the chill .
after walking through the labyrinth of ice , guests are lead to the second floor where they will find an interactive wall aimed to show them the forces of the glaciers and the volcanic activity under them . there is also multimedia displays with everything about glaciers , from the microorganisms found in them to the dangers they face due to climate change . a visit to the observation deck is included with the admission fee so that you can enjoy the view of reykjavík after your tour .
more exhibitions are set to open at the perlan museum later this year , all under the name ' wonders of iceland ' . the ‘land , coast , ocean’ exhibit will use cutting - edge technology to give you insight into the unique nature of iceland , you’ll be able to feel an earthquake and explore the ocean through a virtual fish tank for example , and in the fall a state - of - the - art planetarium will open .
nothing has been more vital to iceland’s survival than fishing , and so it should come as no surprise that there is a whole museum dedicated to the nation’s maritime history . you can check out the country’s seafaring heritage at the reykjavík maritime museum in the newly renovated part of the reykjavík ' s harbour , known as the grandi area .
the museum gives a good insight into the life and times of icelandic fishermen by displaying great old fishing artefacts , detailed model ships , mock - ups of wireless signal rooms , and a compass repair shop .
you’ll gain a deeper understanding of this little island nation as you learn about the country ' s dramatic relationship with the sea , the scale of hardship the fishermen had to endure , and the gradual growth of modern iceland through fishing .
of course , there is also a section of the cod wars ( not to be confused with the cold war ) , a series of confrontations between iceland and the united kingdom on fishing rights . you can even take a tour of óðinn , a coast guard vessel that survived three of these wars .
a fairly new exhibition has opened in the historical austurbæjarbíó building , just a stone’s throw away from the hlemmur bus station . the tales from iceland exhibit uses a series of cinematically beautiful videos to provide visitors with a unique perspective on the country .
this clever exhibit shows these taped stories on two floors with a total of 14 screens , each with a set of sofas in front of them . you are also offered free coffee or hot chocolate so you can wander around with a cup in your hand , enjoying the show .
on the lower level , you’ll find the ‘nature exhibition’ where you get to see the icelandic landscape and history through other people ' s eyes . assorted videos made by tourist are scattered around , describing their ( often hilarious ) experience of the country and the people living here .
upstairs in the ‘news exhibition , ’ you get the locals perspective from news videos . here you’ll learn everything you need to know about iceland , from politics , history , and geology , to music , sports and culture . you’ll see real footage from the cod wars , a commercial starring lazytown’s sportacus and former first lady michelle obama , and everything in between .
on the hverfisgata street in downtown reykjavík , you can find a large and beautiful building known as safnahúsið or culture house . the stark - white house holds a collection which includes paintings , sculptures , and other works of art , alongside cultural pieces and historical artefacts . all designed to give you the history and perspective needed to appreciate the icelandic nation as it is today .
the permanent exhibition , ' points of view ' , gives guests a chance to delve into the collection of six different cultural institutions , from contemporary art to thousand - year - old relics . the suggested tour starts on the fourth floor , and the layout will take you from room to room and down the floors , exploring each wing of the house . there are plenty of chairs along the way if you need to take a rest .
the latest in icelandic art is on the fourth floor , and medieval items are on the ground floor . however , the collections are arranged thematically , rather than chronologically , to paint a picture of various aspects of icelandic culture and way of life . there are also special , temporary exhibitions in a separate room on the third floor which provide a greater insight into a specific topic .
many consider the culture house to be amongst iceland ' s most beautiful buildings and great care was taken in designing both its interior and exterior . it was built in 1906 - 1908 by danish architect johannes magdahl nielsen to house the national library . nielsen ' s colleague , frederick kiörboe designed the oak furniture that can still be found there .
the culture house offers a free web guide , and if you don ' t have a smartphone , you can rent one on location . your ticket to the culture house is also valid for the national museum and vice versa .
when exploring the nation’s culture and history , one cannot forget about icelandic music . at the bottom of bankastræti street in downtown reykjavík hides the icelandic punk museum where you can learn about this country’s punk scene , chronicled from the early years to the new wave uprising , which paved the way for some of the nation ' s most beloved artists , including björk and sigur rós .
much like the punk scene itself , the museum is underground , in a location that couldn’t be more fitting for a museum of this kind , a former public toilet . the toilets themselves were shut down in 2006 only to be reopened a decade later by johnny rotten of the sex pistols to tell the story of icelandic punk .
the stalls serve as mini display rooms for the collection of photographs , posters , handbills , stage equipment , and instruments . there are streaming videos of classic club shows , and headphones hang from the ceiling , each one playing a different icelandic punk song . you can also try on leather jackets and strike a pose with a guitar or behind the drums .
the settlement exhibition is another underground museum , but there is a practical reason for its subterranean location as it is built around an archaeological dig . in 2001 , renovations of the nearby buildings were about to start when archaeologists found a few relics which turned out to be the oldest remains of human habitation in reykjavík , including a tenth - century viking longhouse .
the longhouse is believed to have been inhabited from 930 - 1000 ad , and older still is a boundary wall at the back of the museum , built around 871 ad . what is equally impressive is that these buildings were found at the very place where iceland’s first settlers made his home , as described in the old icelandic sagas which were written down some 200 years after the event .
at the exhibition , you can walk around the unearthed longhouse and look at various artefacts to get a glimpse into early icelandic life . there are multimedia tables which show information about the history and ecology of the area , as well as the daily activities of the residents , such as iron - work and carpentry . there is even a panorama showing you how reykjavík would have looked at the time of the longhouse .
each building is different and has its own story . you’ll find homes of people with diverse occupations and social statuses , from a professor ' s resident to a 19th - century home of landless labourers , as well as houses from different time periods , such as traditional turf houses and wwii storage huts .
to keep with the theme , the employees and tour guides dress in traditional icelandic attire and go about the business of working the farm , which includes tending to sheep , cows and chickens . there is also a children’s room at the museum with traditional mid - century toys for the young ones .
the museum is located in árbær , a suburb of reykjavík city and although it is a little way out of the city centre , getting there doesn’t need to be all that tricky . if you don’t have your own car , you can simply take one of the city buses which stops in the vicinity of the museum . and if you have a city card , both the bus ride and the entry to the museum is free .
the whales of iceland exhibition is a great way to learn all about the whales and dolphins that you might get a chance to see ( or have already seen ) on a whale watching tour in iceland . the museum is located in the grandi area , a short walking distance from the reykjavík old harbour from which most of the city’s whale watching tours depart .
the museum is located in a large warehouse and holds 23 life - size models of the whale species found in icelandic waters , ranging from the small harbour porpoises to the enormous blue whale . the whale replicas hang from the ceiling , are all hand - painted , and each model has personal characteristics based on a real whale found in the ocean . the models are also soft and squishy , and you are allowed to touch them !
the exhibition is quite atmospheric ; there is blue lighting and whale noises are played through the sound system which gives you the sense of being underwater . you can also get a better feel of what it’s like to swim alongside orcas or dolphins with the museum’s virtual reality glasses .
the museum’s multilingual guidance app can be downloaded to your phone , or you can borrow a tablet at the front test to learn about the biology and habits of these magnificent creatures . but it probably will be the sheer size of the whales that will have you in awe and stick you forever .
the national museum houses many treasures of iceland’s history , beginning with the ship in which viking settlers crossed the ocean to their new home , and ending in a modern airport . the vast collection of art and crafts , tools and furniture , religious artefacts and archaeological remains for the permanent exhibition ' making of a nation ' , are organised chronologically so you can easily follow this journey through time .
the section describing the settlement era features swords , drinking horns , a bronze figure of the thunder god thor , and the valþjófsstaður door , a priceless medieval church door on which the legend of lion - knight is carved .


the gilbert u-238 atomic energy lab is a toy lab set that was produced by alfred carlton gilbert , who was an american athlete , magician , toy-maker , business man , and inventor of the well-known erector set .

the atomic energy lab was released by the a.c. gilbert company in 1950 .

the kit 's intention was to allow children to create and watch nuclear and chemical reactions using radioactive material .

cloud chamber from the a . c . gilbert u - 238 atomic energy lab , ca . 1950 .
til that the 1950 toy lab set
gilbert u - 238 atomic energy laboratory
contained uranium ore , polonium , a geiger counter and a cloud chamber .
til that the 1950 toy lab set
gilbert u - 238 atomic energy laboratory
contained uranium ore , polonium , a geiger counter and a cloud chamber . : todayilearned
go to gilbert atomic energy - part ii or back to the a . c . gilbert collection
the a . c . gilbert company’s u - 238 atomic energy lab might not have been the first , but it was the most elaborate , “atomic” educational set ever produced for children .
gilbert’s u - 238 atomic energy lab was the most elaborate atomic energy educational set ever produced . before gilbert introduced his own atomic energy lab in 1951 , the american basic science club produced their atomic energy lab kit which came with real samples of uranium ( which is radioactive ) and radium ( which is a million times more radioactive than uranium ) .
the problem with the gilbert u - 238 atomic energy laboratory was that is was very expensive to make . it came in a brief case style box and had cool drawings of rutherford style atoms , with electrons whizzing by in
dr . gerald tape , commissioner of the u . s . atomic energy commission , washington ,
hake ' s -
gilbert nuclear physics atomic energy lab
boxed 1951 set .
1949 press photo dr . walter bergholz at u . s . atomic energy lab , new brunswick nj
the effects of atomic weapons 1950 los alamos dept . of defense atomic energy co .
gilbert believes that energy atomic laboratory was unsuccessful because the lab was for those who had some educational background rather than the younger crowd that the a . c . gilbert company usually aimed for .
although the u - 238 atomic energy lab continued to appear in newspaper advertisements in 1952 and 1953 , this was a matter of various stores unloading old stock at discount prices . by 1952 the gilbert toys american flyer trains catalog had replaced the u - 238 atomic energy lab with the no . 11 gilbert chemistry atomic energy set . although the latter was very large , its atomic energy component didn’t amount to much : some uranium ore , a spinthariscope and a copy of “atomic energy . ” in essence it was the same as what porter chemical company had done in 1947 with their chemcraft chemistry kit no . 25 .
nisiprius wrote : sneaky , u - 238 is just the model number of the kit , not one of the substances supplied .
u - 238 was also a short lived u boat , was in service about as long as this as this kit until it meet it demise in 1943 , however it was just a diesel .
subject : 1950
gilbert atomic energy lab
toy category : science asked by : dacary - ga list price : $ 200 . 00
u - 238 probably was one of the substances supplied , since the kit had
four uranium - bearing ore samples
, and
around 99 . 284 % of natural uranium is uranium - 238 . . .
(
save atomic energy lab to get e - mail alerts and updates on your ebay feed .
one of the first things that will intrigue you when you open your atomic energy laboratory is the geiger counter , which is located in the upper right hand corner of the box .
and stop by linkstorm to see what happens when swaim sets up his own atomic energy lab .
nisiprius wrote : you can have your official red ryder carbine - action two - hundred - shot range model air rifle , give me a gilbert atomic energy lab .
real ? not a hoax ? it certainly looks 100 % real . sneaky , u - 238 is just the model number of the kit , not one of the substances supplied .
not a lot of regulation was applied to these toys and food products… and some of the toys sold in this era were downright dangerous . this was a time , mind you , when little kids were allowed to own their own guns ( bob clark’s a christmas story wasn’t entirely fictional , you know ) . many toys from the ’50s were covered in lead paint , possessed plenty of sharp edges , and in the case of the infamous gilbert u - 238 atomic energy laboratory , real radioactive isotopes .
the nuclear regulatory commission replaced the atomic energy commission ( aec ) in 1974 . the aec was created shortly after wwii .
“the most spectacular of our new educational toys was the gilbert atomic energy laboratory . this was a top job , the result of much experimentation and hard work . we were unofficially encouraged by the government , who thought that our set would aid in public understanding of atomic energy and stress its constructive side . we had the great help of some of the country’s best nuclear physicists and worked closely with m . i . t . in it’s development .
the gilbert atomic energy kit was a wonderful and fascinating experience for me at a very early age . so much so that for the past 40 years my entire career was engaged in nuclear energy . . . still is . i never forgot that tin geiger counter . charles yulish
other gilbert sets ( e . g . , the no . 11 atomic energy set ) continued to carry the spinthariscope , the ore and the manual . in addition , the geiger counter could be purchased separately .
“it stresses the peace - time role of atomic energy . . . not a hint of the a - bomb in the whole kit . ”
sometime in late 1947 , gilbert’s competitor , the porter chemical company , became the first to produce laboratory kits for children that included an atomic energy component . they seem to have done so with two sets : chemcraft chemistry kit no . 10 ( ca . $ 10 ) and kit no . 25 ( ca . $ 25 ) - get the numbering system ?
the nuclear regulatory commission replaced the atomic energy commission ( aec ) in 1974 . the aec was created shortly after wwii . h . g . wells coined the term
atomic bomb
in 1914 used in his novel
. figure 1 - 8 , the decay curve , illustrates the meaning of half life . the half life of a material is the period of time in which half of the initial amount of the radioactive material will have disappeared . thus , it will take 4 . 5 billion years for 100 atoms of u - 238 to decay so that only 50 are left . at the end of another 4 . 5 billion years only 25 of the initial 100 u - 238 atoms will be present .
but such meaningful science costs a lot of money , too much in fact , to make for a profitable toy product line . gilbert lost money with each sale . and even worse , nuclear physics is , well , nuclear physics , which means it’s pretty complex stuff , even for brainy children , and most simply could not understand what was going on . so , the set did not last for a long time in the marketplace . but there were certainly those kids and no doubt adults too , who loved the gilbert u - 238 atomic energy experimenters kit .
the atomic energy components of kit no . 10 were “actual specimens of uranium ore , “the story of atomic energy , ” [ and a ] spinthariscope . ” chemcraft’s top of the line , kit no . 25 , also included a “radioactive screen . ” according to an account in the july 17 , 1948 issue of the hagerstown daily mail , this use of the uranium ore required that porter chemical company obtain a license from the atomic energy commission .
gilbert claimed that he worked with nuclear physicists in making the atomic energy lab , and assured buyers that it was 100 % safe . but while gilbert was interested in engineering and the sciences , he was a businessman and a successful toymaker first ( he was also a magician ) , so he knew how to spin something negative when it needed spinning… and many modern skeptics aren’t sure how “safe” the atomic energy lab actually was . it did , after all , contain radioactive rocks .
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uranium through cheesecloth , over and over again . you wouldn ' t believe how long it takes to separate out the u - 235
gilbert , of course , couldn ' t be left behind and introduced their own atomic energy lab , which also came with radioactive samples and even a little geiger counter that kids could use to measure the amount of radiation left in their bodies after each play session .
this book was published in 1950 as a manual to accompany the gilbert atomic energy set that sold for only two years - 1950 and 1951 . this set was gilbert ' s most expensive at around $ 50 . 00 retail , and even at that price , it lost money ! but it was a beautiful set , and you can see a full color example
orau it was always doubtful whether gilbert and their mutated customers would be around after 50 years .
physicists customarily use an abbreviated unit for measuring gamma ray energy . this unit is called the
sold separately .
urltoken . . . cience . htm that site has a whole page of
atomic toys ,
but , alas , doesn ' t distinguish the real atomic toys from the pretend atomic toys . urltoken . . . ictoys . htm
gilbert first announced the development of the atomic energy lab in february of 1950 . although images of the first version were employed in newspaper advertisements as late as december of 1951 , i believe that it had been replaced with the second red - cased version well before christmas of 1950 .
it probably became atomic energy in the first place because it was discovered 8 years before the nucleus was proposed as a concept and 35 years before it was conclusively linked ot nuclear fission .
the gilbert u - 238 atomic energy lab was staggeringly unpopular — probably due to its steep price — and most of the units had to be sold back to the company . not everyone was chagrined , however — evidently columbia university bought five of the units for their classroom lessons . used copies still sell on ebay to this very day , so if you have some active ore samples , you can give it a try , assuming it still works… and surely there’s nothing dangerous about feeding isotopes into 66 - year - old children’s toys , right ? either way , it’s certainly not a way to turn your cat into a 50 - foot man - eating monster .
there was nothing phony about our atomic energy laboratory . it was genuine , and it was also safe . we used radioactive materials in the set , but none that might conceivably prove dangerous . there was a geiger - mueller counter . it was accurate ; a carefully designed and manufactured instrument that could actually be used in prospecting for radioactive materials . the atomic energy lab also contained a cloud chamber in which the paths of alpha particles traveling at 12 , 000 miles a second could be seen ; a spinthariscope showing the results of radioactive disintegration on a fluorescent screen ; an electroscope that measured the radioactivity of different substances .
the kit is obviously changing that little boy into a girl through the terrible power of atomic radiation .
also , if a kid was able to use his kit to locate more uranium for the u . s . government , they were promised $ 10 , 000 .
there are literally thousands upon thousands of scientists today who became interested in their careers years ago through a gilbert science set .
gilbert radioactive source is held near the counter to produce a clicking in the headset . neon tube flashes simultaneously with clicks .
the excerpt below is from a . c . gilbert’s autobiography : “the man who lives in paradise” rinehard & company 1954 .
in 1956 , i was six years old and a contestant on the rootie kazootie tv show . i won a gilbert atomic energy lab . i remember the geiger counter and all the fun i had with the set . it was like a small suit case and i often carried it around with me . i sure wish i still had it .
i wish i had saved the comic books my high school science teacher handed out , produced by ge and given to high school teachers for free , that explained nuclear energy and the wonders of the shippingport atomic power station .
for reference , a . c . gilbert ' s discovery village in salem , oregon has one of the atomic energy lab toys . the home page is at . . . urltoken and
imagination station
, one of the permanent exhibits described at . . . urltoken includes this toy along with several others made by a . c . gilbert . if you are in oregon and have young children or are interested in toys , the village is a good place to spend an afternoon . - - maniac
if you have a gilbert u - 238 , hang on it to it . from what i can tell from places that deal in collectibles , for instance , ebay , there is a big demand and they go for a lot of money . as a kid , i did own a gilbert chemistry set . in those days , chemistry sets had real ( read potentially dangerous ) chemicals in them and the science experiments were better than they are today . editorializing now , it seems to me that modern chemistry sets are weak conceptually , because the only types of chemicals included are
safe
or non - toxic ones which drastically reduces the scope and depth of the projects available .
some people better versed in atomic energy sciences than i have pointed out that the polonuim sources of the ore samples may have left them more radioactive than gilbert perhaps intended — leading to some potential poisoning problems . it’s generally agreed that if a child were to pulverize a radioactive ore sample and accidentally ingest the dust , they would not acquire super - powers… but instead become super - sick .
there were two versions of the atomic energy lab . the first ( and rarest ) was described in the 1950 gilbert toys american flyer trains catalog . it came with a tan - colored case . the second version , with a red case , appeared in the 1951 gilbert toys american flyer trains catalog . the contents in the two versions seem to have been the same , but they were arranged differently . a possible exception is that two different types of electroscope seem to have been used in the first version of the set .
gilbert ' s kaster kits ( yes , gilbert , the same people who gave you the glass blowing kit ) allowed you to create your own army of tiny metallic minions . . . which sounds kinda awesome until you realize it involved casting them from molten lead by yourself .
just guessing , but
atomic
my have fallen out of use because of the invention of the h - bomb .
atomic
was not a good general term for referring to both the a - bomb and the h - bomb .
such a set can , indeed , become a stepping stone to a great future for you . don ' t let the opportunity pass of seeing what a gilbert erector , chemistry , or other science set can do for you . visit you gilbert dealer as soon as you can .
and if you used up all the powder , maybe you could borrow some ammonium nitrate from your gilbert chemistry set for a bigger chemical reaction .
as a kid , did you ever swallow or at least put in your mouth a small piece of a toy or play set ? did you grow an extra arm because of it ? no ? then you probably didn ' t have the atomic energy lab .
the preceding text is an excerpt from a . c . gilbert ' s autobiography :
the man who lives in paradise
rinehard & company 1954
, and more often a larger unit , one million electron volts is used . this is abbreviated one mev . this unit we shall use in talking about gamma rays . our atomic energy lab gamma source for example is found to emit a 1 . 14 mev gamma ray .
request for question clarification by bobbie7 - ga on 17 aug 2002 21 : 05 pdt david , as i said , i located the box from the gilbert atomic energy lab set . it is in very good condition for its age with only minor wear to the outside edges . the inside lid picture is perfect . please let me know if that would be acceptable to post as an answer . thank you - - bobbie7 - ga
airplane rides atomic energy lab bascule bridge battleships buses carousels christmas tree stand eiffel tower ferris wheels fire trucks greenberg ' s guide half tracks lift bridge london tower bridge machine shops modern erector no . 8 zeppelin parachute jumps polar cub fans railroad bridges robots skydiver tanks tool shops video vintage erector zeppelins
but come on , this was a more innocent time . mr . gilbert probably never even thought that kids would use his sets for that sort of - -
the worst hand assembly criticality incident from an energy release perspective that i know the details of was kurtchatov sf - 7 , in 1971 . back of the envelope scribbling shows that it would have released the energy of roughly 100kg of tnt , but did so nonexplosively over a period of about six minutes .
didn ' t like , particularly , the recent opera ' dr . atomic ' ( same guy who did ' nixon in china ' ) .
there ' s that gilbert guy again . this may look like a pretty safe ( boring ) science kit , but among the 56 chemicals included in the gilbert chemistry set was some potentially deadly stuff . like potassium permanganate , which , besides being poisonous , has been known to make things catch fire . or ammonium nitrate , the same chemical that the u . s . wants to regulate now because it ' s used in homemade bombs . all that came in the same box - - at no point in history has being a young nerd on his birthday been so dangerous .
i built a cloud chamber later , when i got fascinated by high energy physics . coleman lantern mantles contained enough thorium at the time to be very impressive .
it caused quite a sensation at the toy fair and received a great deal of publicity . but there were difficulties . it had to be priced very high– $ 50 . 00–and even at that price we managed to lose a little money on every one sold . the atomic energy lab was also the most thoroughly scientific toy we had ever produced , and only boys with a great deal of education could understand it . it was not suitable for the same age groups as our simpler chemistry and microscope sets , for instance , and you could not manufacture such a thing as a beginner’s atomic energy lab . so we had to drop this wonderful new addition to our line of educational toys–and toy has never seemed to me to be the right word to apply to such things . we adapted some of its features so that they could be added to our largest chemistry set–using the spinthariscope , some radioactive ore , and the atomic energy manual . ”
our goals are to ¶ showcase and celebrate the works of a . c . gilbert ¶ promote the heritage society by educating the public and by showing the works of our members .
i certainly would have wanted one of these when i was a kid , but i guess i was just a little too young . and $ 50 then is the equivalent of $ 435 today . i sure would have tried to talk my parent into it , though . ( not my dad , it was my mom who was supportive about
science .
) you can have your official red ryder carbine - action two - hundred - shot range model air rifle , give me a gilbert atomic energy lab .
we are a group of collectors , model builders , and restorers who appreciate the products produced by a . c . gilbert ( 1884 - 1961 ) , america ' s greatest toymaker .
. these rays are quite different in their nature from gamma rays . they are actually sub - atomic particles traveling with very high speed . these new particles are called
all these samples except the autunite have been sealed in bottles so that you will not open them . the autunite is not sealed and you can remove the pieces from the jar . the other samples have been sealed for they tend to flake and crumble and you would run the risk of having radioactive ore spread out in your laboratory . this will raise the level of the background count . the autunite is sufficiently hard so that it does not crumble readily and you may handle it outside of the container . it is well , however , to place pieces of the ore in a thin paper sack so that small bits of the ore do not contaminate your laboratory .
of course , the wonder of atomic engineering was what earned this gilbert cloud chamber a reputation as “the world’s most dangerous toy . ” it was quickly pulled from the market , but the manufacturer continued to assure parents that the tiny bit of radioactive material included with each set was essentially harmless ( probably about as harmful as exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun ) .
you see , there was a different approach to nuclear power in the ' 50s and early ' 60s - - atomic energy was our friend and the way of the future , and it would never do anything to hurt us . however , it ' s still hard to believe that anyone would entrust kids with radioactive material ( even in small doses ) .
the atomic energy lab was only around for one year to 1952 . in addition , it was a relatively high price for the time ( $ 50 . 00 ) . this was the reason given for its short lifespan as well as the sophistication of the lab . however even at $ 50 . 00 , the company lost money on every one sold .
clarification of question by dacary - ga on 18 aug 2002 07 : 23 pdt dear bobbie7 - ga , thank you for your email . i ' m sorry , but the gilbert atomic energy box alone wouldn ' t qualify as an answer ( if fact , there ' s one being offered on ebay at this time ) , as per my question i asked for a lab that was
complete with all components ,
inclluding box , as this is what i ' m looking for . but thank you for your interest and query . dacary - ga
uranium gives off 3 , 000 , 000 times as much energy as an equal weight of coal . it will not be 3 . 000 , 000 times as cheap because of processing expenses , if we are able to get the advantage of only one - tenth of one per cent of this output , coal will be more than 1000 times as expensive as uranium . with such a tremendous leeway atomic energy unquestionably will be made extremely cheap - - like ' free air ' at service stations .
john t , o ' neill , 1945
i enjoyed reading about the atomic lab . i also recall a lassie show from the period where timmy gets contaminated by a missle . you might find my site rad urltoken interesting .
gilbert’s atomic energy lab came with four types of uranium ore , a beta - alpha source ( pb - 210 ) , a pure beta source ( ru - 106 ) , a gamma source ( zn - 65 ? ) , a spinthariscope , a cloud chamber with its own short - lived alpha source ( po - 210 ) , an electroscope , a geiger counter , a manual , a comic book ( learn how dagwood splits the atom ) and a government manual “prospecting for uranium . ” using real radioactive materials , one could witness mist trails created by particles of ionizing radiation .
a . c . gilbert , who among other accomplishments , won the gold medal in pole vaulting at the 1908 olympic games in london , graduated from yale medical school and then , in what must have been a hard left turn on his life’s highway , started a toy manufacturing company . eventually , the a . c . gilbert company became the leader in the manufacture of construction and scientific toys like chemistry sets and erector sets .
there has been so much misinformation about radioactivity that we pause here to reassure you and your parents that the radioactive sources supplied to you are not dangerous in any way . they have been carefully designed by some of the nation’s top scientists to be instructive and harmless . we assure you that no harm will come to you through daily contact with the radioactive sources supplied with your atomic energy lab .
included with your atomic energy lab are four glass bottles containing samples of radioactive ore . sample no . 100 contains some pieces of carnotite taken from the colorado plateau region . carnotite is bright yellow in color . your sample , however , may be of greyish or brownish cast due to the presence of iron . consult your booklet , ‘prospecting for uranium , ” for more information about the occurrence of this ore .
radiation wasn’t well - understood by the public in the 1950s — even in the wake of the explosion of an atomic bomb . as a nation , we were still learning what all this radiation really meant ; we didn’t understand how safe or unsafe it might be , or what could and couldn’t be done with it . this confusion can be seen in pop culture of the period — movie monsters of the ’50s were often spawned by radiation and atomic bombs , and comic book superheroes were gifted fantastic powers through radioactivity . gilbert clearly sought to bridge that knowledge gap , allowing kids to try out radiation for themselves , and remove the godzilla - sized stigma attached to it .
if such a set were to be offered today , it would probably be even more expensive in today ' s dollars , even assuming that it could be marketed . the cost of even a simple geiger counter would be quite expensive , and the atomic sources needed to complete most of the experiments are very expensive as well , and are much more extensively regulated than in 1950 . however , some atomic sources are available to educators and hobbyists . see
yes , i had a gilbert chemistry set as a child in the 50 ' s . i also had a manual for gilbert ' s hydraulic set , which apparently consisted of various small pipes , valves , and balloons . the manual included instructions for building several different kinds of water cannons . i remember thinking that this sounded extremely cool , and wishing that i actually owned the set , not just the manual . does anyone else remember this ? btw , i hope those electrons were in elliptical orbits , not parabolic ones !
orbits , on its cover . inside was the apparatus that allowed boys and girls to “see the paths of alpha particles speeding at 12 , 000 miles per second ! ” and “watch actual atomic disintegration – right before your eyes ! ”
back in the 1950’s , at the height of the cold war there was all sorts of amateur atomic experimentation going on . i guess it was a sort of “know thy enemy” attempt at making peace with a suddenly much too dangerous world .
after remaining popular for the first half of the 20th century , gilbert chemistry sets fell from grace in the ' 60s and ' 70s ( following a series of entirely predictable lawsuits ) . however , at one point these hazardous kits were endorsed by both good housekeeping and superman himself .
the advantage of having a convenient unit for talking about gamma rays is that we no longer have to be so vague as to say , “in this experiment we use a soft gamma ray . . . “ rather we can be accurate and say “here we use a 0 . 35 mev gamma ray . . . . ” the larger the mev of a gamma ray , the greater is its half thickness and the greater is its penetrating power . gamma rays having energy above one mev are usually thought of as being high energy rays .
dear letterrip , thank you for your email of 09 / 09 . yes , i would appreciate receiivng information on the gilbert lab and chemcraft set - - particularly the lab . please feel free to post info and i ' ll post comment in response . thanks again , dacary - ga
its high price ( ca . $ 50 . 00 ) and sophistication were the reasons gilbert gave for the set ' s short lifespan : 1950 and 1951 . today , it is so highly prized by collectors that a complete set can easily go for more than 100 times the original price .
for radiation workers is 50 millisieverts in any one year , that
1 sv = risk of cancer later in life ( 5 in 100 )
and
10 sv = risk of death within days or weeks .
so , if the level in his laboratory was 1000x background , that ' s pretty serious stuff and the authorities were not overreacting with regard to the cleanup - - but , depending on how much time he spent at what distance from his
reactor ,
it ' s quite possible he wouldn ' t have had any obvious harm done .
yet , the atomic energy lab kit produced by the american basic science club came with real samples of uranium ( which is radioactive ) and radium ( which is a million times more radioactive than uranium ) . since the mere presence of radioactive material in a children ' s product clearly wasn ' t insane enough , some of the experiments detailed in the manual also required kids to handle blocks of dry ice . dry ice , by the way , has a temperature of minus 109 . 3 degrees fahrenheit , and it ' s recommended that it only be handled while wearing gloves ( none were included ) .
keep in mind that in order to be able to change the shape of the glass , first it has to reach its softening point , which is around 1 , 000 degrees fahrenheit . the gilbert glass blowing set encouraged children to try this with their bare hands in order to carry out a series of wildly irresponsible experiments detailed in the manual :
the lab came equipped with a geiger - mueller radiation counter , a wilson cloud chamber ( to see paths of alpha particles ) , a spinthariscope ( to see
live
radioactive disintegration ) , four samples of uranium - bearing ores , and an electroscope to measure radioactivity . it also included a comic book featuring dagwood bumstead ( the man who couldn’t leave his own house without knocking the mailman down ) describing how to split an atom . the atomic energy lab’s main drawback , other than possible radiation poisoning , was its price tag : a whopping $ 49 . 50 , which would be over $ 300 in today’s dollars .
sir , i believe i have a lead that can find both the gilbert lab , and the chemcraft item that has expired , if you like i can post the contact information here ( i can wait till the item expires , since i don ' t wish to interfere with other researchers and i ' m not a googlnaut . . . ) letterrip
perhaps by now the user of the atomic energy lab has been impatient to explore the properties of the radioactive sources marked alpha , beta , and gamma . first , bring the source labeled alpha up to the counter . note that it has no recognizable effect on the counter . this should not disturb the user for there is nothing wrong with the source . it means that the type of ray emitted by this source is much different from the gamma ray . we call it the alpha ray . alpha rays are easily absorbed in any solid substance or even in air and they are not able to penetrate the wails of the geiger counter .
ahhh , but let us not forget the chemcraft atomic energy kit from the porter chemical company ( later lionel / porter ) of hagerstown , md ! sort of off the subject , i was astounded * to find that an entire book had been published about the chemcraft co . , the chemcraft story : the legacy of harold porter ( review here , about midway down the page ) and that some people attribute their professional careers to science kits such as these . * astounded because i ' m related to the porter family in convoluted ways . their gift of a basic chemcraft kit set off a lifelong fascination with science and , well , underground technology .
in 1903 p . curie found that radium had a daily heat output equivalent to the explosive power of it weight in tnt , and this output went on for thousands of years with a 1600 year half life . that got everybody ' s attention and led h . g . wells to speculate about an atomic bomb .
you will find several small plastic sources mounted inside your atomic energy lab . one of these is marked radioactive standard - gamma source . remove this source from the lab and bring it close to the geiger counter . when you do this you will note that the number of flashes or clicks will increase rapidly until you can hardly count them . removing the source will cause the clicking sound or the flashing light to slow down . later on we will go into detail and explain what the clicks and flashes are and what they mean . meanwhile , we will merely say that each click or flash corresponds to the detection of a radioactive ray going through the geiger counter .
as a result of our war - time development of atomic energy the element uranium has assumed great importance in our national affairs . uranium is a very heavy metallic element , but it does not occur in metallic form in nature . nevertheless , there are over 100 minerals which are uranium bearing . these are widely distributed over the face of the earth . there are , however , only very few deposits of uranium ore which are rich in uranium . most of the uranium which has been mined has been taken from veins of pitchblende located as follows : shinkolobwe in the belgian congo , eldorado in canada , and . joachimsthal in bohemia . in these localities , especially in the belgian congo , uranium occurs in very rich deposits .
the lab contained a cloud chamber that allowed the viewer to watch alpha particles travel at 12 , 000 miles per second , aspinthariscope that showed the results of radioactive disintegration on a fluorescent screen and an electroscope that measured the radioactivity of different substances that were in the set . this toy is looked upon as being dangerous because of the radioactive material in the set , but gilbert claims that none of the materials could conceivably prove dangerous
baby boomers are a hardy bunch . they rode in cars that weren’t equipped with special toddler seats , walked to and from school without being electronically tethered to their parents , ate lunches filled with allergens and preservatives , played with toys that would be quickly pulled from shelves today , and still persevered to become the largest living generation of the u . s . population . whether you owned a johnny seven one man army or just want to know more about the ultra - violent , bestselling toy of 1964 , let ' s take a look back at some of the dangerous toys of yesteryear and the commercials that sold them .
the world set free
is a pretty lousy novel if i remember correctly - - i did slog through it one ) is this once ; wells at his delusions - of - grandeur worst . atomic bombs are mentioned throughout . the mechanism is standard science - fiction double - talk , involving an element named
carolinium
and an impossible detail : wells ' fictional bombs release power
nisiprius wrote : blender ? he had a blender ? lucky stiff . i had to press my uranium through cheesecloth , over and over again . you wouldn ' t believe how long it takes to separate out the u - 235 that way . i never did get it up to fissile grade , and i lost in the science fair to a kid from a farm who used a cream separator to spin it down . i wonder now why i didn ' t think to use the picture tube from the tv set , but i didn ' t have any big enough magnets anyway and my folks never did like me playing with picture tubes .
when i contemplate what was done then , and in how short a time , during wartime , i believe that some of our other ' problems ' like the environmental , could be solved by a similar ' crash ' application of all our resources to create and to deploy the needed technologies ( the david mckay book ' sustainable energy : without the hot air ' is a great read on this , available free on line ) .
when you hear the phrase ‘chemistry set’ , what is the first image that pops into your head ? is it one of a mad scientist in a dark laboratory full of pieces of glassware bubbling over ? is it your high school or college chemistry lab ? for many , the phrase evokes a time of exploration and experimentation , a time where a child could be and do anything they could imagine . although first and foremost to be a toy providing hours of entertainment , chemistry sets also allowed children to interact intimately with science . it is these interactions that led many to go on to become famous chemists and physicists . by studying these sets – their content , the imagery surrounding them and the people that used them – we can hopefully better understand how society viewed , and continues to view , science .
it ' s relatively easy to induce a criticality excursion with blocks of heu or , more commonly , heu in aqueous solutions ( the water acts as a moderator ) . this would irradiate the surrounding area and probably kill the person performing the assembly ( it ' s happened a number of times over the years , see the johnstonarchive list of criticality incidents ) . my memory here is fuzzy but you really need assembly faster than the human body is capable of in order to create an actual detonation or even a sizable fizzle , i remember working this out in a physics class many years ago . it ' s much easier with u than with pu , but you still need mechanical assistance .
clarification of question by dacary - ga on 03 sep 2002 12 : 59 pdt hi , thanks for contacting me again . since i ' m wanting to write a book on 1950s toys with an atomic age focus , and with pictures , i ' d like to focus first on finding as complete a set as possible . i can always work down , if i can ' t find a complete set . i hope that answers your question . dave
greetings ! other than locating the meccano company which bought out gilbert , i could find no complete lab online for sale ( and meccano may not have one but it never hurts to ask ) . have you contacted them for details ? if not , here is their contact information ( and thank you for enlightening my knowledge on this unique product ! ) : meccano s . n . 92 - 98 , boulevard victor hugo 92110 clichy - france túl : ( 33 ) 1 41 40 98 60 fax : ( 33 ) 1 41 40 98 79
let us first measure the absorption of beta particles in some light material such as cardboard take some stiff cardboard , not of the corrugated variety and cut up a dozen or so pieces large enough to cover the beta source . prop up the beta source by taping it to a little paper box and face it toward the side of the geiger counter which contains the geiger counter tube . place the geiger counter about 12 inches or so from the source . at this distance you will get a counting rate of about 100 or more c . p . m . now place one piece of cardboard after another between the source and the counter taking a reading for each absorber added . you will find that a one centimeter layer ( a little larger than 1 / 3 of an inch ) of cardboard absorbs most of the beta rays . twice as many centimeters of cardboard absorbs the beta rays completely . use the plastic rule supplied with your atomic energy lab in order to change from inches to centimeters .
( see p . 3 below . ) his words were probably true , and the fact is that there remains a great deal of misinformation about the relative dangers of nuclear energy and certain radioactive materials , with some even going so far as to classify this set as one of the most dangerous toys ever . regardless , while many of these experiments or similar could be done at home , they are probably best left to the high school or college lab , due to both the cost and need to handle nuclear materials safely .
in order to eliminate some of these sources of radioactivity let us surround the geiger counter with layers of heavy substances on all sides . allow the cord to the ear phones to come out one side of shielding material so that the counting rate may be measured . lead is an ideal substance for you to use for this experiment , but since you may not have this in your home , you may substitute another material such as iron or copper . if you happen to be an apartment dweller with no such items at hand , then you may perform the experiment in your science laboratory at school . shielding the counter on all sides with an inch or two of solid lead , or with a thicker layer of less dense material , would be expected to reduce the radiation from sources in the vicinity of the counter . it would not , of course , shield against the radio active materials in the counter itself , but , we can easily show by using another geiger counter that the radioactivity of the instrument itself is very small .
2 . ^ a b oppenheimer spoke these words in the television documentary the decision to drop the bomb ( 1965 ) . [ 5 ] in the literature , the quote normally appears in the form shatterer of worlds , because this was the form in which it first appeared in print , in time magazine on november 8 , 1948 . [ 6 ] it later appeared in robert jungk ' s brighter than a thousand suns : a personal history of the atomic scientists ( 1958 ) , [ 7 ] which was based on an interview with oppenheimer . [ 8 ] j . robert oppenheimer
if no hum from the vibrator is heard after these checks are made , the chances are that the vibrator has been damaged or has failed . however , it may happen that the vibrator will work properly but the instrument will not respond to the radioactive gamma source . make sure that it is the gamma source that you are using . if the neon tube does not flash at all the counter requires repair . if the neon tube flashes almost continuously in the absence of the radioactive source it also requires repair . do not attempt to shake the box or otherwise fix the geiger counter , return it to the a . c . gilbert company as per instructions given in the appendix .
request for question clarification by silviares - ga on 03 sep 2002 08 : 57 pdt hello dacary - ga i tried contacting some collectors and one of them included this line in his answer
. . . . i have a nice one in my collection , but wasn ' t planning to sell it . . . .
i would like to know if you want to pursue this lead and if so you should tell me how much you are willing to offer . unless you want to take it from here , if this is the case i could give you the email address of the collector . also the ac gilbert discovery village has one urltoken but i don ' t think they are selling it . silviares
as a gamma ray whizzes through matter it completely disregards the atoms of the matter through which it is passing ; that is , until it finally makes one collision with a single atom . then it hands over all of its energy to an electron in this atom . thereupon , the electron is quickly stopped because it , unlike a gamma ray , does not disregard the influence of atoms around it . when a gamma ray is emitted from the gamma source , it may either travel through a fraction of an inch in the wood or it may travel through all twelve inches . on the average , considering the mass behavior of thousands of gamma rays , there is a higher probability , however , that the gamma ray will be stopped in the first few layers of the absorber .
to my mind radio - activity is a real disease of matter . moreover , it is a contagious disease . it spreads . you bring those debased and crumbling atoms near others and those too presently catch the trick of swinging themselves out of coherent existence . . . . i am haunted by a grotesque fancy of the ultimate eating away and dry - rotting and dispersal of all our world . so that while man still struggles and dreams his very substance will change and crumble from beneath him . i mention this here as a queer persistent fancy . suppose , indeed , that is to be the end of our planet ; no splendid climax and finale , no towering accumulation of achievements , but just - - atomic decay !
never before in the history of warfare had there been a continuing explosive ; indeed , up to the middle of the twentieth century the only explosives known were combustibles whose explosiveness was due entirely to their instantaneousness ; and these atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange even to the men who used them . those used by the allies were lumps of pure carolinum , painted on the outside with unoxidised cydonator inducive enclosed hermetically in a case of membranium . a little celluloid stud between the handles by which the bomb was lifted was arranged so as to be easily torn off and admit air to the inducive , which at once became active and set up radio - activity in the outer layer of the carolinum sphere . this liberated fresh inducive , and so in a few minutes the whole bomb was a blazing continual explosion .
request for question clarification by silviares - ga on 03 sep 2002 13 : 16 pdt hi dave first of all i followed your directions in the clarification to my first request and sent a new email to the first collector trying to find out if the person is really willing to sell and what the price would be . i ' m waiting for a reply . second , in regard to your last clarification , if all you need are detailed pictures then one of the collectors i contacted suggested the following
. . . the other possibility that comes to mind is to take an extended series of high resolution digital pictures of a complete set , documents , etc . and compliment the pictures with some promotional literature from the manufacturer . . . .
if that is the case you can probably contact the ac gilbert discovery village . urltoken as i said they have one , they are probably not willing to sell it but you should be able to get detailed pictures . silviares