#DYK Manitoba has no truly red wildflowers? Find out why in this video with Dr. Diana Bizecki Robson, our Curator of Botany.
Did you know? Ram’s head snuff mull
Did you know that this bejeweled ram’s head in the HBC Gallery has wheels on the bottom? It’s a snuff mull from the 1800s.
Learn more about this peculiar artifact with Erin from our Learning and Engagement team!
Science in the Snow
By Mike Jensen, Planetarium/Science Gallery Programs Supervisor
When thinking of activities to do on a bright Winter’s day, science doesn’t usually come to mind. Surprisingly, science is at work with almost every fun pastime you can conduct out in the snow. You just need to know what to look for!
Of course, the first thing you think about as you zoom down a snow-covered hill on your favorite toboggan is physics, right? Well, it should be, because the laws of physics are actually in the driver’s seat when you are careening down a slope with no brakes. Next time you hit the slopes, conduct some experiments.
- Do you go faster with more or less weight?
- Does the shape or type of material of your toboggan affect how fast you go?
- Does a steeper or gentler slope make a difference to your speed?
Once you are done experimenting with your sled, shore up your engineering skills by building a snowman. Surprisingly, it’s not as simple as you think. Here are some science and engineering factors to consider when making Frosty in your front yard.
- Moisture content. Snow can be too wet or too dry, so having the right amount of water to ice crystals can make or break your construction. Water is the glue that sticks the ice crystals together.
- Pack it down. This actually melts some of the snow, which then re-freezes and helps to bind the snow together.
- Watch your center of mass. There’s a reason the largest snowballs go on the bottom. Don’t go making Frosty top-heavy, otherwise you risk catastrophic failure.
After you’ve had your fill, come put your new-found science and engineering skills to the test at the Manitoba Museum’s Science Gallery. Design and build your newest creation at the LEGO brickyard, or see if you can be the first to cross the finish line at the Engineered for Speed Race Track!
Try your hand at building your own LEGO snowman in the LEGO brickyard at the Science Gallery! ©Manitoba Museum
Explore the physics of gravity with a Hot Wheels race at the Science Gallery. ©Manitoba Museum
Three attractions, unlimited fun! Purchase a $99* Family Membership today.
*cannot be combined with other discounts
The Blanket That Crossed the Atlantic During WWII
Did you know that this quilt crossed the Atlantic during war-time only to find its way home over 70 years later?
When the weather turns cold, many of us reach for the warmth and comfort of a handcrafted quilt or afghan. During WWII, local volunteers gathered in Steep Rock, MB to create Red Cross quilts for civilian victims of the war. Across the Atlantic, at Dudley Road Hospital in Birmingham, England, a Matron passed their gift on to Cynthia (Betty) Craddock. Her husband Joe was serving in the army when their only son Anthony was born in 1945.
Anthony’s earliest memories are “of this quilt being on my bed and keeping me warm when times were hard. With no central heating, frost would often appear on the inside of the window.” The young Anthony remembers reading the message on a tag on one corner of the quilt. Betty treasured the gift for many years until finally they decided that it was time for the quilt to be sent home.
You can see the quilt along with photos of Betty and Anthony Craddock in our Parklands Gallery.
“Ketch” up with the Nonsuch!
This Winter Break, for a limited time only, the Manitoba Museum will be offering tours that give a rare look into the cargo hold of the Nonsuch. In light of this unique opportunity, I’d like to share some interesting tidbits about this replica ship and surrounding gallery.
The Nonsuch is a full-sized replica of a 17th century ketch that was constructed in the mid-20th century to celebrate Hudson’s Bay Company’s 300th anniversary. You may have noticed that there is no wheel to steer the ship; that’s because the original Nonsuch pre-dated the invention of the ship’s wheel! Instead, the ship is guided by the tiller, a lever that connects directly to the ship’s rudder. Imagine sailing this ship across the cold North Atlantic and into the icy waters of the Hudson Strait.
There’s no steering wheel on this ship – the Nonsuch was guided by a tiller. Image ©Manitoba Museum
Usually closed to the public, Nonsuch Hold Tours will be back for a limited time this December. ©Manitoba Museum/Ian McCausland
The hardy crew that sailed the Nonsuch along the St. Lawrence River. ©Gaby Demers.
I think it would have been pretty terrifying, and the chosen captain for the replica agreed. Captain Adrian Small advised that Nonsuch be towed across the Atlantic, and it began its sailing tour of North America along the St. Lawrence River. I’m often asked why the beds in the Captain’s quarters are so small, and it has nothing to do with stature. Sleeping somewhat upright, propped up with pillows, was very common during the 17th century to help with digestion and assist with breathing. Although people were a bit shorter in the past, the difference is not that great. The average height for British men in the late 1600s was 5’5”, while today the average is 5’8”.
As you wander the gallery, take note of the sights and sounds. Extensive research went in to every prop and sound in the gallery to ensure historical accuracy. All of the dishes in the tavern are replicas of actual ceramics and pewter that have been recovered archaeologically from Deptford, England that date to the late 1660s. Enjoy your visit to the Museum this Winter Break, and get ready to wow your friends and family with your newfound knowledge!
Dr. Amelia Fay
Curator of Anthropology & the HBC Museum Collection
Amelia Fay is Curator of Anthropology and the HBC Museum Collection at the Manitoba Museum. She received her BA in Anthropology from the University of Manitoba (2004), an MA in Archaeology…
Meet Dr. Amelia Fay
Easter Eggs in the Museum
Did you know there’s an “Easter egg” in the Ancient Seas exhibit of the Earth History Gallery? The animators told us that they hid a Coke can in the boulder field!
Hidden features in video games and films are often called “Easter eggs.” Museum exhibits can also include secret elements, some of which are not even known by most museum staff! When we built the Parklands Gallery, the team hid some “entertainment” – you have likely seen the black bear hiding in the cave, but do you know about the place where two visitors can reach into narrow passages in the cave wall, until their fingers touch?
What “Easter eggs” have you found in the Museum?
Making a Splash in the Indian Ocean
During the current pandemic, we have all become used to the idea of virtual connections and well aware of opportunities to serve communities at home and even around the world. This is nothing new for scientific research at the Manitoba Museum – it has been reaching global audiences since we opened in 1970.
Image below: Museum exhibitions, like the new Prairies Gallery, are the result of scientific research and collaborations which provide both the specimens and their interpretation that visitors see when they visit. © Manitoba Museum/Ian McCausland
The Global Reach of Museum Science
The natural world isn’t bound by provincial and national borders, so scientific discoveries at the Manitoba Museum, made available in international publications, inform scientists, conservationists, and policy-makers here in Manitoba and abroad. Expertise in the Natural History section extends to animals and plants, both living and fossil, that occur around the world.
Fishes on the other side of the World
The Museum has recently collaborated on a comprehensive guide to the coastal fishes of the western Indian Ocean, an area including the Red Sea, east coast of Africa, and Madagascar to the southern tip of India. This project, spear-headed by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, involved over 100 contributors from 20 countries, including the Manitoba Museum.
The five volumes include descriptions of 3500 species of fishes and their distributions over the largest area of ocean ever to be covered by a publication of this kind. Because it is available online for free, it is a valuable resource for local fishermen, educators, conservationists, and governments – regardless of economic status – providing baseline data to understand and conserve ecosystems and manage fisheries resources.
Image above: Known from only four specimens in museum collections, Winterbottom’s goby (Callogobius winterbottomi Delventhal & Mooi) was first recognized during detailed study at the Manitoba Museum. ©Manitoba Museum
Museum Science – Collaboration and Community Impact
These kinds of partnerships are a direct result of the expertise that the Manitoba Museum brings to the scientific community through original research. In turn, these scientific contributions shape how society understands and responsibly engages with the environment. The work of Manitoba Museum scientists and their national and international collaborators not only helps to understand and conserve the natural ecosystems at home, but makes an impact around the world.
Most Manitoba Museum scientific research is focused on Manitoba, including spring frog surveys by Curator of Zoology Randy Mooi that examine possible distribution changes due to climate change. Many discoveries, though, have applications well beyond our provincial borders. (Pictured. © P. Taylor)
Dr. Randall Mooi
Curator of Zoology
Dr. Mooi received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Toronto working on the evolutionary history of coral reef fishes. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Fishes of the Smithsonian Institution…
Meet Dr. Randall Mooi
Winnipeg Grotesque
Gargoyles once roosted above the streets of historic Winnipeg, and if you look closely a few might still linger, jeering at passersby. The best set of Winnipeg gargoyles, or in this case “grotesques,” were found on the old Winnipeg Tribune Newspaper building, and the Manitoba Museum is now home to four of them.
The six-storey Tribune building was designed by Chicago architect John D. Atchison for the successful Winnipeg Tribune newspaper, completed in 1914. It was remodelled in 1969 to look more modern, and the grotesques were removed and given to various employees. The Tribune closed in 1980, after which the building was demolished.
Most of the grotesques are still in private hands and have moved around the country, but two of the original terra cotta figures can be seen in the Winnipeg Gallery. We have also added four replicas to one of our buildings in the Winnipeg 1920 cityscape.
The Winnipeg Tribune Building, 1914, built at 257 Smith St. Fourteen grotesques lined the top of the building, while fourteen heads stared down from the top of the first storey. Image: University of Manitoba Libraries
In his design, Atchison sketched in grotesque figures leaning off the top of the building. The final grotesques were made with terra cotta, a type of ceramic, in the American Terra Cotta and Ceramic Co. factory in Illinois. Image: Archives of Manitoba
The heads were located at the bottom of exterior columns. Atchison included neo-Gothic elements in some of his designs, and such grotesques completed the look. Image: Archives of Manitoba
Grotesques and gargoyles were originally found on medieval cathedrals, but here we see them on a business in downtown Winnipeg in 1914. Why? There were six original figures on the Tribune that repeated, making a total of fourteen.
Each of the six figures was representative of a newspaper job:
- City Editor, complete with scissors (pictured. MM H9-37-581)
- The Printer, holding an ancient printing press
- The Fish Story Teller, holding a huge fish.
- This likely represented a keen member of the public embellishing a story for a reporter.
- The Contributor (reporter)
- The Proof Reader
- Newsboy
Oddly, the grotesques were all wearing medieval clothing, complete with cloaks and pointy shoes! In other words, it was a whimsical affair – a modern office building with a gothic flair. There was even a legend that the figures resembled the actual people working at the paper.
Frightening Fact!
A gargoyle is a stone figure that also acts as a waterspout to carry rainwater away from the building – the water is usually funneled out of the mouth of the figure. The word gargoyle comes from the Old French gargouille, meaning “throat.” Other decorative figures on buildings are known as grotesques.
Dr. Roland Sawatzky
Curator of History
Roland Sawatzky joined The Manitoba Museum in 2011. He received his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Winnipeg, M.A. in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina, and Ph.D. in Archaeology…
Meet Dr. Roland Sawatzky
Orange Shirt Days @ the Manitoba Museum
Orange Shirt Day has been recognized in Manitoba since 2017. The orange shirt is a symbol of remembrance for Indian Residential School Survivors which originated with the experience of Phyllis Webstad of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation. She shared her story of how her new orange shirt was taken away from her on her first day at St. Joseph Mission Indian Residential School, leaving her feeling worthless and insignificant.
Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation answer the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) call for a national day of remembrance as a way for Canadians to publicly commemorate the history and legacy of Indian Residential Schools and the resilience of Indian Residential School Survivors, their families, and communities.
To honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Manitoba Museum will be hosting its second annual Orange Shirt Days with special all-day programming and free admission from Friday, September 30 to Sunday, October 2, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, provided with the support of the Province of Manitoba.
Programming in the Museum Galleries will be focused on the history of Indian Residential Schools and the TRC Calls to Action. The Museum was humbled by visitors’ earnest response to last year’s event and looks forward to providing an opportunity for visitors to learn, reflect, and respond to the legacy of Indian Residential Schools as part of our collective journey towards Reconciliation.
“I felt inspired, educated, and ready to take what I have learned and apply it to environments around me (family, friends, work, etc.)”
– 2021 Orange Shirt Days participant
Visitors will follow a self-guided tour through the Museum Galleries to discover many exhibits relevant to the history of Indian Residential Schools and the TRC Calls to Action. Along the way they will hear Indigenous voices and perspectives in videos from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Finally, at the Manitoba Cares station, visitors will share their thoughts and make their own commitments to take action for Reconciliation.
There will be special showings in the Planetarium of Legends of the Northern Sky, which features two stories that exemplify how the Indigenous people of North America connect with the night sky in fundamental ways that resonate with their world. Visitors will also have access to hands-on experiences in the Science Gallery.
Join us for a time of learning, reflection, and response.
Three days of free admission to all areas from September 30 to October 2. No tickets required.
Top Flight: The Churchill Rocket Range
By Tamika Reid, Volunteer Researcher, and Roland Sawatzky, Curator of History, Manitoba Museum
Churchill, Manitoba is well known for its scenic arctic landscape, polar bears, and vibrant northern lights, but did you know that Churchill was once home to the most active rocket range in Canada?
While the Churchill Rocket Range was in regular operation, between 1957 and 1985, Churchill hosted an international array of scientists, technicians, students, contractors, and military personnel. Through their pioneering studies, Manitoba has a permanent place in the history of early rocket development, and research into the mysteries of the upper atmosphere and aurora borealis. This work enriched humanity’s understanding of the thin layer surrounding our fragile planet.
Ken Pilon worked at the Churchill Rocket Range in the early 1980s as a meteorologist, supporting winter launches by providing crucial wind and temperature information. The northern climate made blizzards and high surface wind speeds a concern for launch trajectory. Pilon worked with a team of up to 60 people. “The hours and working conditions were extreme at times, but I never heard a single complaint from any of them,” said Pilon.
An Aerobee rocket is launched in the darkness of winter, in February 1981. The glare of the fuel combustion casts stark shadows among the surrounding trees. Photo by Ken Pilon.
A two-stage rocket is launched into the Aurora. Both the first stage booster and the second-stage rocket ignition are visible. Photo by Ken Pilon.
The Churchill Rocket Range, 1975. Photo by Ron Estler.
A recent episode of Dome@Home, a bi-weekly virtual program hosted by Planetarium Astronomer, Scott Young, featured Pilon’s artifacts and images. In response, a viewer from Colorado, Dr. Ron Estler, contacted the Museum and shared his experience as a graduate student at the Churchill Rocket Range, along with more photographs.
For six weeks in 1975, Estler was part of an Aerobee 150 rocket launch funded by NASA, through John Hopkins University. Studying Chemical Physics, Estler was tasked with overseeing electron spectrometers to be launched with the Aerobee, for analyzing the energy of electrons.
Having visited Churchill last March for the first time since working there as a student, Estler is already planning another trip north. On the way, he plans to visit the Manitoba Museum. “It will remind me that I played a very small role in something much bigger and fundamentally important to the knowledge of our own planet,” said Estler.
The Manitoba Museum is planning a future exhibit on the Churchill Rocket Range to highlight stories like these, and the role of the Rocket Range in space and science research. You can see a Black Brant V, a type of rocket also used at the Churchill Rocket Range, in the Science Gallery at the Manitoba Museum.
Dr. Roland Sawatzky
Curator of History
Roland Sawatzky joined The Manitoba Museum in 2011. He received his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Winnipeg, M.A. in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina, and Ph.D. in Archaeology…
Meet Dr. Roland Sawatzky