Earliest Collection (page 6)

Extraction of fossil DNA C018 / 5401
Extraction of fossil DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Material drilled from a fossilised Homo heidelbergensis femur (thigh) bone (femur 13) found at the Sima de los Huesos site, Sierra de Atapuerca

Excavations at Sima de los Huesos, Spain C018 / 5409
Excavations at Sima de los Huesos. Archaeologists working at the Sima de los Huesos site, Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain. Mitochondrial DNA from a Homo heidelbergensis femur (thigh) bone (femur 13)

Prehistoric rib bone C015 / 6754
Prehistoric rib bone. This rib bone was found at the TD-6 level in the Gran Dolina cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca foothills near Burgos, Spain

Prehistoric cave paintings, Chauvet C016 / 0575
Prehistoric cave paintings, Chauvet, France. These cave paintings of various animals are found in the Chauvet Cave, France. This is the site of the earliest known cave paintings (as of 2011)

Archaeopteryx [Berlin specimen]
Cast of the Archaeopteryx fossil specimen held at the Berlin Natural History Museum. It shows clearly the spread-out wings and long clased fingers

Silurian landplants
An artists impression of the the earliest vascular plants which developed beside freshwater pools during the Silurian (443 to 417 million years ago)

Wilbur Wright, age 38, head and shoulders, about 1905; one of the earliest published photographs of him. Date 1905

SNOWDROPS
Snowdrops, some of Springs earliest and well-loved flowers. Date: 1950s

British Submarine
One of the earliest submarines in the Royal Navy in Portsmouth harbour, with Nelsons Victory in the background. Date: circa 1910

The Earliest recorded picture postcard from Italy
The Grand Hotel in Venice, Italy - the earliest recorded picture postcard from Italy - March 15th 1888 - very very rare. Date: 1888

Cruck-Beam Gable
A derelict cruck-beam house (being demolished), at Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. This was one of the very earliest forms of building construction. Date: 19th century

Budapest - The National Museum (the earliest known Hungarian Picture Postcard! Date: 1896

Swinton Schools, Manchester
The Manchester Union Industrial School at Swinton. The school, where 800 pauper children were housed and educated away from the workhouse, was established in 1843, one of the earliest of its type

Wurzburg Missal 1470
Five lines of print from the Wurzburg Missal, one of the earliest printed books. Date: 1470

Litchis (Lychees)
euphoria litchi A cluster of litchi fruit : introduced to the west from the Chinese province of Fukien in the 1840s, this must be one of the earliest depictions. Date: circa 1845

Lydian Coins
Lydian coins, the earliest known coins

One of the first depictions of the wheel, on a bas-relief of a chariot. The bas-relief was one of the earliest known representations of the wheel

Earliest recording of a European meteorite
Earliest recorded European meteorite. Medieval manuscript page which is the first to record a meteorite (shown in woodcut image at top)

Model of an early hominid (Australopithecus sp. )
Australopithecus anamensis. Model of an early female hominid, Australopithecus anamensis. While A. anamensis had an ape-like jaw and brain

Ichthyostega, artwork
Ichthyostega. Computer artwork of an Ichthyostega around 350 million years ago during the Late Devonian period, in what is now the Canadian Arctic

Ensisheim meteor fall, 1492
Ensisheim meteor fall. Woodcut showing the fall of a meteorite in 1492 near the villages of Ensisheim and Battenheim (both labelled), then in Germany (German text across top)

Fog and snow-covered UK, December 2010
Fog and snow-covered United Kingdom, December 2010. Satellite image of snow (dense white) and fog (greysish white, bottom) covering the UK during the cold spell in December 2010

Early human mandible. Mandible (jaw bone) from an early hominid found in the Sima del Elefante excavation, one of the archaeological sites at Atapuerca, Spain

Dinomischus primitive animals, artwork
Dinomischus primitive animals. Computer artwork or Dinomischus aquatic animals populating a sea floor around 505 million years ago during the Middle Cambrian epoch

Prehistoric wetland life, artwork
Prehistoric wetland life. Computer artwork of an Ichthyostega (right) emerging from a prehistoric floodplain around 350 million years ago during the Late Devonian period

Ensisheim meteorite fragment. Piece of the Ensisheim meteorite that fell on 7th November 1492. This was the earliest recorded European meteorite

Evolution of cuneiform writing
Evolution of Cuneiform writing from 3000BC to 1000BC. Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system. It began as a pictograph system used by the Summerians and consisted of wedge-shaped characters

Baird inventing his television, 1920s
Baird inventing his television. Coloured photograph of the Scottish engineer John Logie Baird (1888-1946) constructing one of his early television systems

Revolt at Palermo
The people of Palermo, Sicily, revolt against their Bourbon rulers - one of the earliest manifestations of the Risorgimento

Sketching the Lion Gate
The artist for The Illustrated London News talks to local shepherds as he sketches the Lion gate at Mycenae, the earliest relief sculpture on the Greek mainland

First Dissection Pic
This is said to be the earliest depiction of an anatomical dissection

Chiffchaff (Morris)
(Phylloscopus rufus, or collybita) The earliest migrant to arrive in England : its name is derived from its distinctive song

OSWEGO, 1750
The earliest English trading post on the Great Lakes, the fort was contested in the Seven years War and later in 1812 : the Onondago river here flows into Lake Ontario

A Broadcast Ca 1922
A scene from the earliest days of broadcasting : Olive Sturgess and John Huntingdon perform a duet at BBC Marconi House

Early Trade Union C1835
Initiation into a TRADE UNION - due to official hostility (unionists were perceived as revolutionaries) the earliest unions conducted themselves like secret societies

Rail Travel, 1820S
One of the earliest trains - with the carriages adapted from road coaches and the outside passengers liable to be blackened by smoke

Wwi / Russo-German Air War
A dogfight between Russian and German aircraft. One of the earliest pictures of air warfare

Torricellis Barometer
Perier checks the results of Torricellis barometer experiment on the summit of the Puy-de-Dome, France. Torricelli devised the earliest form in 1643

Friedrich Von Hausen
Friedrich von Hausen, German poet, one of the earliest of the minnesingers. Accompanied Emperor Frederick on the 1189 crusade and died at the battle of Philomelium in 1190

Lion Gate at Mycenae
The Lion Gate at Mycenae represents the earliest large relief structure on the Greek mainland. The carvings were placed into an open triangle left by the corbelled blocks. Date: 1855

Metro - Old Station
The classic art nouveau design of the earliest metro stations, in central Paris

Egypt / Step Pyramid
The Great Step Pyramid at Saqqarah, one of the earliest funerary edifices in Egypt

Nurnberg Chronik 1493
The Cities of the Plain are destroyed : Lots wife, who turns to admire the show, is turned to a pillar of salt, but the rest of her family escape with angelic help

Carriage on Rail Wagon
In the earliest days of the rail, a private carriage might be carried on a rail wagon - anticipating todays motorail service by a hundred years !

Domesday Book
THE DOMESDAY BOOK - the earliest surviving public record, a survey of landholding ordered by William I the Conqueror; now housed in the Public Record Office

Leeds Co-Op Store
LEEDS INDUSTRIAL CO-OPERATIVE STORE, Yorkshire - one of the earliest co-ops

C17 Carriage
A French CARROSSE - the earliest type of private carriage

Prehistoric Aviation
Our earliest ancestors were surely inventive enough to experiment with flight, even if their efforts were not always crowned with success

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"Unveiling the Earliest Traces: From Stone-Age Cave Paintings to Pioneering Feats" Step back in time and witness the earliest glimpses of human creativity, as we explore the captivating world of ancient cave paintings. Journey to Chauvet, France, where these mesmerizing Stone-Age artworks transport us thousands of years into the past. The intricate depictions on those walls reveal a profound connection between our ancestors and their surroundings. But let's not confine ourselves solely to visual artistry; let's delve into history itself. Enter The Code of Hammurabi, an ancient Babylonian legal text that provides invaluable insights into early civilization's social structure and justice system. This remarkable artifact showcases humanity's quest for order amidst chaos. Now brace yourself for a spectacle like no other – Zazel, also known as the Human Cannonball. Witness this daredevil performer defy gravity with death-defying leaps through space. A true pioneer in entertainment, Zazel captivated audiences worldwide with her breathtaking stunts that pushed boundaries and redefined what was possible. Shifting gears once more, we find ourselves face-to-face with Archaeopteryx fossil specimens from Berlin and London. These extraordinary discoveries bridge the gap between dinosaurs and birds, offering compelling evidence for evolution over millions of years. They remind us how life has evolved through countless iterations before arriving at its present form. Returning to artistic expressions that transcend time barriers, we encounter Mr Fezziwig's Ball immortalized by John Leech in Charles Dickens' timeless classic A Christmas Carol. Through this enchanting illustration, we catch a glimpse of Victorian-era festivities filled with joyous dancing and merriment—a reminder that traditions have always played a vital role in shaping our cultural fabric. And finally, let us marvel at Anna Atkins' Schizonema Smithii cyanotype print from 1853—an exquisite example of early photography techniques pioneered by women artists like Atkins.