A tribute to that magical day when east met west, when the peal of an historic old bell in Philadelphia was heard all the way to San Francisco – the opening of the transcontinental telephone line.
Museum honors Melissa Rice with inaugural SPARK Award at fundraising gala
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention presented Western Washington University assistant professor Melissa Rice its first SPARK Award earlier this year. The award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to science education and advocacy, was presented at IGNITE!, the Museum’s inaugural fundraising gala. “We selected Dr. Rice for this award because she is someone who ignites curiosity in science not only in kids, …
Almon B. Strowger: The undertaker who revolutionized telephone technology
Truly, necessity is the mother of invention. Imagine you’re an undertaker working in Kansas City in the late 19th century. You’re one of just two undertakers serving a city of more than 50,000 people, so business must be booming, right? Not if your competitor is stealing all of your clients. Legend has it that Almon Brown Strowger found himself in …
SPARK docents turn group tours into experiences
“This is not a movie. We’re going to do this live, right here in this room, right before your eyes. Let’s go!” The docent stands in front of the dark room, his voice quivering with excitement. A group of visitors sit in rapt attention, eyes wide with anticipation. Suddenly, 4.5 million volts of energy light up the room as a …
In the SPARK Museum, a trove of early electric motors
On display at The SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention are myriad devices that tell the exciting story of electrical history, including a string of devices that walk visitors from the early thought experiments of Michael Faraday to the electric induction motors of Nikola Tesla: Faraday Rotating Cup Experiment: Michael Faraday’s rotating cup device, which he invented in 1822, is one …