Manchester has earned its place in computing history, and it continues to be a pioneer in computer science today.
Our collection documents 250 years of discoveries and innovations that began in Manchester and went on to influence the world. In this section of the blog, we want to shine a light upon the achievements and experiences of the people behind those stories.
To mark 100 years since the first radio broadcasts by the BBC, and in honour of the opening of the BBC 100 display at the museum, Curator of Television and Broadcast Lewis Pollard reflects on the importance of the BBC in Manchester over the last century.
To mark LGBT+ History Month, Senior Curator Katie Belshaw showcases some recent additions to the Science Museum Group’s collection which reveal more about the life and legacy of one of Manchester’s most celebrated scientists and favourite LGBT+ heroes, Alan Turing.
In this guest post, MA student Hudson Ray tells us about their placement in the curatorial team, helping to find and enhance LGBTQ, women’s and disability stories in Manchester engineering.
Collections Care Assistant Amy Stevenson takes us behind the scenes of the Use Hearing Protection exhibition, revealing what’s involved in getting the objects ready.
Associate Curator Abigail Wilson takes a look at the items in the Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security exhibition and in our collections that tell the story of Alan Turing’s incredible life and career.
In this blog, Senior Curator of Industrial Heritage Katie Belshaw examines Manchester’s unique relationship with rain, the industries that have been born out of its reputation for precipitation and the scientists whose study of drizzle helped drive their discoveries.
Associate curator at the Science and Industry Museum, Alison Crook, explores the history of cycling in Manchester, delves into our collection to track the history of the two-wheeler, and shines a spotlight in one Manchester inventor who changed the face of cycling forever.
The Science and Industry Museum is just full of old stuff, right? Wrong! The stories we tell haven’t finished, so why should our collecting?
In 2021, as part of Manchester Science Festival, the Royal Photographic Society will be showcasing the results of its prestigious Science Photographer of the Year competition at the Science and Industry Museum, and we think one historic character from Manchester would certainly approve.
We weren’t the only ones cooped up during lockdown. In this blog, Rachel Rimmer, our Conservation and Collections Care Manager, looks at how her team prepared for leaving the collections and objects on their own and how having no visitors brought some unexpected advantages.
Did you know that we have one of the original eggs from the Alien movies in our collection? It’s definitely one of the most unusual objects in our collections (which at several million objects is saying something!)