The gallery explores four key themes: life
saving breakthroughs in medicine; increased understanding of the
universe, the explosion in communications technology and
revolutionary advances in civil engineering.
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Two hundred years ago many medicines taken by
people were actually harmful, and surgery was usually fatal. Years
of research and development have created a very different medical
world today. The Life Changing theme explores these advances, from
the discovery of anaesthetics and development of more effective
drugs to the invention of new technological aids, such as
prosthetic limbs.
Exploring the Invisible examines how the
development of instruments for exploring and revealing the unseen
is essential for furthering our understanding of the universe.
Unlocking the secrets of waves and particles has led to discoveries
and inventions that have transformed our lives, from x-rays and
nuclear power to polarising sunglasses and colour photography.
The Information Age investigates the
development of communication technology since the 1800s, from Morse
code and ‘the wireless’ to 3D television, the earliest computers,
vast behemoths invented in the 1940s, to iPads and WiFi.
Travel technology
The development and application of new civil engineering
technologies since the 18th century has physically transformed our
world: from roads, bridges and canals and the vehicles and vessels
that travel on them, to monumental lighthouses that protect
mariners from treacherous coastlines. At the heart of all these
advancements are innovative individuals who have developed and
proved ideas that changed the lives of everyone.