Making the Modern World
- Location
- Ground Floor
- Suggested duration
- 60 mins
- Open
- Permanent
- Cost
- Free
- More things about
- Communications and Computing, Medicine and Biology, Space, Transport
Our history is embedded in the objects that we have invented, made and used. The Making the Modern World gallery displays a series of exceptional objects which mark new departures in technology and science – the events that have framed our world.
You’ll find such iconic items as Stephenson's original Rocket locomotive, Babbage's Difference Engine No. 1 and Crick and Watson's DNA model. These objects and many others are laid out in a chronological sequence that, in effect, comprises a cultural history of industrialisation from 1750 to the present day.
Alongside this central progression you’ll also find a series of historical studies which act as a comment on each age.
Another sequence of showcases looks at technology in everyday life, from 1750 to the present day. These displays use a large selection of objects drawn from right across the Museum's collections.
A fourth strand of the gallery, along a raised walkway, offers a rich display of models running in step with the main display. Made for a variety of uses, these are, in themselves, historic artefacts of the finest quality.