Royal Ontario Museum Blog

Monthly Archive: December

National Volunteer Week | Volunteer Spotlight: Rebecca Beayni

Posted: April 17, 2015 - 10:00 , by Jaclyn Qua-Hiansen
Rebecca at the Hands-on Biodiversity & Discovery Galleries

How can a museum volunteer change the way we view the world? This National Volunteer Week, we invite you to meet Rebecca Beayni, a volunteer in the Hands-on Biodiversity & Discovery Galleries, who was recognized for her contribution to the museum at the 2014 Ontario Volunteer Service Awards.

"Of Angling, and the Art thereof": Fish Tails and Fish Tales

Posted: April 15, 2015 - 13:55 , by ROM
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“Of Angling, and the Art thereof I sing,

What kinde of Tooles it doth behoue to haue;

National Volunteer Week | Volunteer Spotlight: Helen Hatton

Posted: April 15, 2015 - 10:00 , by Jaclyn Qua-Hiansen
Helen Hatton with wooden dinosaurs in Mexico

After one of her shifts at the Hands-on Biodiversity Gallery, ROM volunteer Helen Hatton said to her husband, “Honey, do you want to hear about the sex life of hissing cockroaches?” Her husband, whom Helen describes as “a delightful retired geek,” calmly replied, “Let’s have a drink first.”

He later observed that Helen and her colleagues at the ROM were all “a bit around the bend.” “He’s right,” Helen admits. “And that’s what I love!”

Pompeii Saga: Last Day

Posted: April 13, 2015 - 14:14 , by ROM
Antique colour illustration (c. 1866) of Mount Vesuvious erupting

The horrors of the Mount Vesuvius eruption were buried under volcanic ash. Thankfully one scholarly young man wrote the story of his own survival.

By: Douglas Thomson

 

Earth's Archives: Every Rock Tells a Story Part 1

Posted: April 13, 2015 - 12:52 , by ROM
Hematite

Hermatite

By: Ian Nicklin

Hematite is a common ore of iron that was extensively mined in northern England in the 19th century. The miners referrred to globular aggregates of hematite, such as this, as "kidney-ore" since it reminded them of the organ. We call this shape "reniform," which means the same thing: kidney-shaped.

Getting Lost with Galloway

Posted: April 13, 2015 - 11:45 , by ROM
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Matt Galloway, the host of Metro Morning on CBC Radio.

We sat down with CBC's Matt Galloway to find out exactly what keeps bringing him back to the ROM

By: Douglas Thomson

Q: Do you visit the museum often? 

A: Yes, I have a couple of young kids. We come on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes if there’s a special event, but also sometimes we come just to wander around. It’s a great place to explore—one of the places we go to just spend time in the city. That’s a
big thing for our family, to be out and about in Toronto as much as we can.  

Blue Whale Update

Posted: April 13, 2015 - 11:20 , by ROM
Three men working next to a shipping container that contains the Blue Whale bones and manure.

Blue Whale Update

 

Cooking up History: Historical Recipe Books

Posted: April 1, 2015 - 14:08 , by ROM
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The cookbooks of the past provide information about diet and habits, as well as telling us which foods were expensive treats, and which were commonly available. Many of the foods that appear regularly through the centuries are not often eaten today, like pickled eel, fried lamprey, and cow-heel soup. Others are familiar, such as macaroni soup or an 1877 recipe for ‘Indian dal’. 

Meet Miss Martin: Behind the Scenes at the ROM Library & Archives

Posted: March 31, 2015 - 11:31 , by ROM
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Ella Martin displays an artifact. ROM Archives SC82

University of Toronto iSchool Masters candidate Nicole Marcogliese describes her experience in the ROM's Library & Archives working with the Ella N. Martin collection. 

My Favourite Object: A "Tell Minis" Style Lustre-Ware Bowl

Posted: March 28, 2015 - 13:12 , by Robert Mason
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This beautiful bowl, ROM Accession number 960.219.2, was made in Syria between about AD 1075-1125, and if you read this story, you will find out why I would really like to meet the person that made it.