BACK IN THE DAY #9. WHAT LITTLE BOYS DIDN'T WANT SANTA TO BRING THEM.

If your a grumpy old man and get annoyed at all the new health and safety regulations it probably means that you were a kid growing up in the 1950's, in which case you really dodged a bullet if your parents didn't buy you "The Atomic energy lab".
The set came with four types of highly radioactive ore samples, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book (Dagwood Splits the Atom) and a government manual "Prospecting for Uranium".


It wasn't the only product on the market selling radioactive samples



This is the "Atomic energy kit" produced by Porter Chemical Co. It contains a "radioactive screen", a standard spinthariscope, and two glass vials one of which contains uranium ore while the other contains a "uranium chemical."
The "radioactive screen" is simply a small piece of heavy paper on which radium has been deposited.
The booklet is a primer on radioactivity. The few experiments described in it consist of placing the uranium samples or the "radioactive screen" against photographic film. In one experiment, they recommend using filters (e.g., lead foil) to see the effect on the photographic image.



If you were the out and about type, rather than a nerd, then mum and dad might have bought you "The Library of Science Radiation Detection Kit". The cover of the box, seen in the image above, reads: "SAFE - SIMPLE - NO SOLDERING Including an operating Geiger Counter, accessories, and a manual for 48 experiments on Ionization, Cosmic Rays, Radioactive Ores, Alpha and Beta Particles, Gamma Rays, Radioactive Sources, X-rays, Scintillation, Radio-autography, and Electroscopy.The kit also came with a sample of uranium ore.


They had something for everyone. If you liked playing with your train set, then this was for you. Con-Cor's Three Mile Island Model kit. The description on the box says it will "add realism and excitement to your train layout"!
It was available at only 13.99! Unfortunately the clean up costs were in the millions.