Hidden Heroes – The Genius of Everyday Things is a new exhibition opening in London’s Science Museum in November.
The exhibition celebrates the everyday items that we take for granted because their design and purpose are so well matched. Visitors will be able to see original sketches and drawings by the inventors of 36 items. The inventions celebrated include the tin can, Velcro, the sticking plaster, the paperclip, Post-It notes, the zip and the ballpoint pen. Many of the featured objects have remained unaltered for many years. All of them are constantly used and demonstrate a simple, ingenious design.
Dr Susan Mossman, materials science specialist at the Science Museum, says: ‘At a time when celebrity is king, it gives all of us at the Science Museum enormous satisfaction to celebrate the truly uncelebrated and shine a light on a group of outstanding inventions and inventors, revealing the supposedly mundane to be nothing short of remarkable.’
Visitors will discover how a descending aeroplane may have inspired the design of bubble wrap; how a request by Napoleon for the preservation of food for his troops led to the eventual development of the tin can; and how the tea bag may have been discovered accidentally when customers dipped unopened packets in hot water to test the quality of a tea shipment.
The Science Museum is open daily 10am–6pm, admission free. Hidden Heroes – The Genius of Everyday Things runs from 9 November to 5 June, admission £6 adults, £3.50 students and children, £11-£16 family ticket.
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD
Tel: +44 870 870 4868
Website: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
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Author: Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.