Library+of+Imagination

For our library, we decided to theme it after mystery. The exterior of our building would be based off of the the unfinished pyramid on the US one dollar bill. The unfinished top of the the pyramid represents the progress that lays ahead in the future. The eye on the top portion of the pyramid is the Eye of Providence, also known as the Eye of God. It is a symbol found in cultures all over the world, and was used usually as a religious symbol in ancient times. Today, the eye of providence is is mainly used in Freemason symbology.

For the actual design of the pyramid, the pyramid would be close to the Egyptian pyramids, except for the seemingly floating top, which would be supported by steel I-beams attached to the top of the base of the pyramid. The material would concrete with a white marble coating on the base, and gold-plating on the top.

The inside of our library would have pressure-sensitive glass floors, which changes colours where anyone steps. The walls would be adorned with artwork by famous artists such as Picasso, Van Gough, and Da Vinci. Finally, the ceiling would be a giant domed 3-D map of the stars.

The various items in our library would include:

__1. The Capsule of the Spacecraft //Vostok 1//:__ On Wednesday, April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin manned the //Vostok 1// spacecraft, and became the first man to in outer space. The flight lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes, and the spacecraft orbited the just once. Although this seems a mediocre achievement today, it was and unimaginable feat in 1961. This represents the human imagination because it proved that somehow, life in space //was// possible, and gave people some of the first realistic ideas about life in space.



__2.A Copy of Plato's //Republic://__ Plato was a ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician. In approximately 380 B.C., he wrote his most famous piece of work, called //The Republic//. This dialogue was one of the first pieces of writing to outline the definitions of democracy, tyranny, and other systems of government. This is a good example of the human imagination because it gave people some of the first examples of political theory.

Further information on //Republic// is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_Republic

__3.A Compass:__ Over the course of history, the invention compass has repeatedly been sighted as one of the turning points in naval exploration. Without the invention of the compass, the Europeans would have not been able to explore nearly as much as they did. It is also reasonable to assume that the Americas would never have been discovered, and we would not be living here today.

Further information on the compass is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass

__4.A Copy of Charles Darwin's //The Origin of Species://__ On November 24th, 1859, Charles Darwin's //The Origin of// //Species// was published in the UK. Darwin's book was to become the framework for modern evolutionary science. Although was (and still is) largely criticized by the church, it attracted large attention upon its publication, and is now required reading in many institutes across the world.

More information on Darwin's book is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species

__5.A Steam-Powered Train Engine:__ The invention of the steam engine was a major turning point for transportation. Before the steam-powered train, the fastest and most efficient means of transportation was a horse carriage. As horses are living things, and require food, water, and rest daily, people encountered many problems. But when the stream train was invented and perfected, people finally had a cheap, efficient, and quick way to travel.

More information on the steam engine can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_engine#History

__6.A Bag of Gunpowder__ Gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. Gunpowder is primarily used as a propellant for bullets in firearms. Originally invented in China, gunpowder has drastically changed warfare- for better, or for worse, depending on how you look at it.

More information on gunpowder and its origins can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder

__7.An Incandescent Lightbulb:__ An incandescent lightbulb is a source of light powered by electricity. Before Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, the only sources of light were the sun, stars, moon, and fire. Although expensive and rare at first, lightbulbs eventually proved more efficient than candles, and became cheap and commonplace. This wonderful invention gave many inventors the idea that things we use in everyday life could be powered by electricity.

More information on the lightbulb can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightbulb

__8.A Vinyl Record:__ A vinyl record is an analog sound storage medium invented in the mid 1800s. It was the first known way to store sound, and remained the most popular until the 1980s. The way they work is by putting a needle in-between the small grooves in a vinyl disc, which reproduces sound. This invention is important because it spawned a new era of knowledge sharing, and proved that there were other was to store idea other than writing.

More information on vinyl records can be viewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_record

__9.A Bottle of Coca-Cola:__ Coca-Cola is a soft drink which originated in the United States. It is widely considered the most popular soft-drink of all time, and has a huge influence in American pop-culture. Coca-cola has one of the most impressive and lengthy lists of advertisements in history. This invention is notable because of how such a small, seemingly unimportant product changed the course of history as we know it. More information on Coca-Cola can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola

__10.Interface Message Processor:__ The Interface Message Processor, invented in 1969, was the first example of a computer modem. Although large, primitive, and expensive, the IMP was the first device able to connect a large network of computers together, and give them the ability to share data. This important invention was the predecessor to the Internet, which brought about a new age of sharing knowledge.

More information on the IMP can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_Message_Processor

__My "Top 3" Paragraph__ Out of all the items, chosen from all the museums student created, these are the 3 I believe to be most influential:

__1.The Caravel__ A sailing ship of Portugese origin, the Caravel had a new shape of sail which allowed the ship to sail faster. This invention represents the imagination because it brought many new explorers to the new world. Its design also influenced many generations of sailboats to come.

__2.The Cantaloupe__ Something as influential as the cantaloupe cannot possible be ignored. For hundreds of years, it has provided the people of eastern Asia with a good source of nutrients, such as vitamin C. Actually, the cantaloupe has probably had no effect on society whatsoever. But the concept of making and irrelevant object //relevant// is certainly a notable feature of the human mind. For exmple, take the big bang theory. We as humans have thought up of a way which everything could have come from nothing. Or did it? See, you're thinking right now. Point proven.

__3.The First Car__ The first car ever made was a Benz automobile made in the late 1800's. It showed unbelieveable imagination in its design and concept. But would it have been invented if its inventors knew that along with a method of transportation, it would also lead to weapons, global warming, and the oil crisis? We can only wonder...