The Historical Society of Frankford (HSF) today invites the public to hear Roger Turner, curator of instruments and artifacts at the Science History Institute of Philadelphia, speak at its monthly meeting on April 14, 2026, at 7:30 PM. The doors open at
7:00 PM.
His topic will be “Weird, Wonderful, Playful and Profound: Treasures of the Science
History Institute”. The venue is the HSF library/museum, located at 1507 Orthodox St,
Philadelphia. The event is free and open to the public, and parking is available across Orthodox
Street at the Frankford Friends School. Light refreshments will be served.
The Science History Institute is a free museum in Old City Philadelphia with some fascinating stuff.
This talk explores surprising stories behind a few remarkable things from the collections. Why did
Beatrix Potter draw mice around a Bunsen burner dreaming of toasted cheese? What can we learn
about the history of plastic from a washed-up Lego dragon, an ESPN producer’s vuvuzela, and a
song by Shel Silverstein? Added together, these stories illustrate some of the ways that science and
technology have created the world we live in today.
Roger Turner is the curator of instruments and artifacts at the Science History Institute in
Philadelphia, USA. He studies the role of science in our daily lives, from chemistry labs to pollution
control to weather forecasting. Among his recent exhibits are “How to Read a Plastic Bag,” and
“Astroturf: Field of Contention.” His favorite scientific instrument is a spectrometer that has a label
warning users about its “emotional crisis detector”.
