100 YEARS AGO

Commander R. F. Scott, R. N., in naval charge of the British Antarctic Expedition, has stated to a representative of Reuter's Agency that the preparations for the British Antarctic Expedition are now practically complete. The Discovery, the expedition's ship, will be launched on March 23, and, after she has been handed over by the contractors, will come round to London, where her equipment and provisions will be put aboard. The Discovery has been built on whaler lines, only with greatly increased strength to withstand ice pressure. She is 171 feet long, and 34 1/2 feet beam, and has 1500 tons displacement. She will have auxiliary steam, and is fitted with engines of the latest type. In her construction the lines of the Fram, though carefully studied, have not been adopted, as Nansen's ship would have been ill-adapted for the heavy seas the Discovery will have to encounter. The expedition will leave London in July or August, and will proceed to Melbourne, reaching there in November.

From Nature 7 March 1901.

50 YEARS AGO

The annual report of the Chicago Natural History Museum for 1949 (pp. 140; Chicago: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1950; 1 dollar) gives some interesting facts concerning the activities of its Department of Public Relations. For an entire year, the Museum was brought to the notice of every person who looked up a telephone number in the "Red Book, Chicago Classified Telephone Directory"; for, through the courtesy of the publishers, the name of the Museum and a picture in colours of the exterior appeared on the front cover, while inside in a prominent page-one position was the story of the Museum. Considering the large number who consult a telephone directory in the course of a year, the cumulative effect of such publicity must be of a high order . . . The museum continued to be represented each Saturday throughout the year by a series of stories on the “Children's Corner” radio programme. Special features, including television, were given on several of the broadcasting systems. Other publicity included the distribution of thousands of folders describing exhibits. Lecture courses for adults and children were advertised by posters displayed in railway stations and on suburban trains. Some of the methods adopted by the American museums may seem unusual; but all are worthy of consideration.

From Nature 10 March 1951.