50 YEARS AGO

‘Benjamin Franklin's Purse” — In connexion with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin (1706–90), the Department of Mineralogy of the British Museum (Natural History) is exhibiting the asbestos purse sold by Franklin to Sir Hans Sloane in 1725. The purse came into the collections of the British Museum at the time of its foundation in 1753, on the death of Sir Hans Sloane. It had lain unrecognized for many years and was identified in 1938. On his arrival in Britain, Franklin worked for some time as a compositor and sought to augment his income by the sale of some ‘curiosities’ which he had brought with him from America. One of these, the asbestos purse, is referred to by Franklin in his autobiography... The purse represents perhaps the earliest specimen of asbestos from North America to reach Great Britain.

From Nature 21 January 1956.

100 YEARS AGO

The study of a few of our British stone monuments from an astronomical point of view [may give information on] the order of succession of the various swarms of immigrants who set out the various systems of alignments... I have evidence that the risings of stars, as well as of the sun, were observed in some of the circles... some circles used in the worship of the May year were in operation in 2000 B.C., and there was a change of cult about 1600 B.C., or shortly afterwards, in southern Britain, so definite that the changes in the chief orientation lines in the stone circles can be traced. To the worship of the sun in May, August, November, and February was added a solstitial worship in June and December. The easiest explanation is the advent of a new swarm of immigrants about that date. The associated phenomena are that the May–November Balder and Beltaine people made much of the rowan and maythorn. The June–December people brought the worship of the mistletoe.

From Nature 18 January 1906.