worldmags
Maker
Things of Science mong my childhood memories of toy gyroscopes, souvenir radiometers, and other scientific kid stuff is a unique series called “Things of Science.” I nostalgically recall its clever combination of simple yet effective elements: the anticipation of a magazine subscription combined with the mystery of a “Free Inside” cereal prize, crossed with the fascinating variety of a science fair together with the sense of accomplishment from completing a merit badge — all mailed to my house once a month in a little blue box. If you were one of the lucky subscribers to Things of Science (“memberships limited”!) you know just what I mean, and if you weren’t, here’s what you missed. In 1940, the nonprofit group Science Service created Things of Science (ToS) as an educational outreach program to spread news about science
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worldmags
Make: Volume 25
to the public. The idea was to put actual samples of real things into the hands of newspaper editors, teachers, and students. Each month, Science Service produced a kit on a different scientific topic, such as optics or electricity, and included small samples, such as lenses or wires, along with booklets containing information and simple experiments to do at home. These materials were collated into small blue boxes and mailed to subscribers. There were hundreds of different ToS kits produced over nearly 50 years. The list of scientific topics reads like an encyclopedia: enzymes, seashells, modern electronics, carbon black, slide rules, papermaking, fossils, probability, horology, polarized light, licorice, air pollution, the mollusk, simple machines, and on and on. You never knew what scientific surprise next month’s little blue box would bring!
Photography by Bob Knetzger
Miniature monthly science surprises! By Bob Knetzger