The birth of the looking glass
The spooky side of silver
The science of reflection
The mirror in our minds
007skaty These dark, reflective obsidian discs from modern-day Turkey deeply influenced early spiritual rituals and how people viewed their own self-identity.
What volcanic material was used to make the world's oldest known mirrors in Anatolia?
007skaty Murano glassmakers used a secret tin-mercury backing to create Europe's clearest mirrors.
What toxic metal was historically mixed with tin to create the reflective backing of Venetian mirrors?
On which Venetian island were glassmakers forced to live to protect mirror-making secrets?
Egypt's sun mirrors: Ancient Egyptians used polished bronze disks as mirrors, representing the sun god Ra.
007skaty Angle the curved mirrors to discover how sound waves travel across a room.
Who was the French minister who organized the industrial espionage of Venetian mirror makers?
Which French palace features a famous hall built using smuggled Venetian mirror secrets?
007skaty Modern Mirror Silvering
Say goodbye to toxic mercury, we wash the glass in silver nitrate, and leave the mirror standing safe and bright!
What chemical compound is typically reduced to deposit silver onto a modern mirror?