Leaded Gasoline
Curiosity is what drives exploration and it’s the spark that makes me stop, look around, and ask questions. If you’ve ever wondered about something as ordinary as the leaded gas pump, you’re touching on a fascinating (and troubling) piece of 20th-century history.
In 1921, General Motors discovered adding lead to gasoline eliminated “knocking” and by 1923, leaded gasoline was sold all across the US. This lead allowed for higher engine performance, but it also meant that lead particles were released into the air through the exhaust.
By the 1960’s and 70’s, research linked the airborne lead to brain damage and developmental delays as well as environmental contamination. The EPA began to phase out lead in 1973 and by 1996, leaded gasoline for on-road vehicles was fully banned in the US.
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Thomas Eames Sign
Driving along a road in Framingham is this roadside sign that marks the location where the home of Thomas Eames once stood. There is no remaining structure, only the sign indicating that this was the site of a 17th century homestead. On February 1, 1676, during the King Philip’s War, the Eames house was attacked. At […]
Death Mask
In the Dedham History Museum, is this death mask. An intimate impression of a person’s face taken shortly after death. The practice of creating death masks has a long history. In ancient Egypt, masks were place with the dead, though they were often idealized. In ancient Rome, families preserved wax masks of ancestors as a way to honor lineage […]
George Washington Marker
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