Lecture – The Story of the Sword by Don Halter Warfare changes with the technology of the day. Historian and historical bladesmith, Donald Halter, will detail the evolution of edged and blunt force trauma weapons in medieval times. This presentation will include an overview of the advancement of iron and steel from the inception of […]
Lecture – Medieval Arms Race Throughout the Middle Ages competition between offensive and defensive arms resulted in a constant stream of innovation and evolution that resulted in the magnificent suits of armor and gracefully proportioned weapons on display in the current collection. Historian David Wise will explore the science behind the arms race […]
Lecture – What Makes Us Human? Lessons from the Study of Wild Chimpanzees by John Mitani This evening leading Primate behavioral ecologist John Mitani will reveal interesting parallels between humans and chimpanzees with respect to friendships, longevity and cooperation. Humans form long-lasting friendships, live a very long time, and are an unusually prosocial and cooperative […]
Lecture – Jousting – The Sport of Kings Jousting tournaments were held as grand sporting and social events in medieval times. These events sealed the mystique of the knight into modern times. In full knight armor, historian and historical jousting competitor Steve Hemphill will the take us through the various events of a grand […]
Lecture – Chocolate, Corn and Floating Farms: the Marvel of Aztec Foods by Dirk Van Tuerenhout Is it possible that the Aztecs may help feed a hungry planet tomorrow? The Aztecs developed revolutionary farming techniques that were a marvel. They also gave us many things we have in our pantry today, but also ate foods […]
Shell Educators’ Preview Free Admission for Educators You are invited to attend a special viewing of: Death by Natural Causes Tuesday, March 27, 2018 4–7 p.m. Snakes. Spiders. Sharks. The things you fear are the least of your worries! Death by Natural Causes will introduce patrons to the range of “animal, vegetable and mineral” dangers that […]
Death by Natural Causes GET TICKETS Opens for members March 9, public opening March 12, 2018 | Members see it first March 9-11, 2018 Snakes. Spiders. Sharks. The things you fear are the least of your worries! Death by Natural Causes will introduce patrons to the range of “animal, vegetable and mineral” dangers that lurk in their […]
Registration For HMNS X plorations Summer Camp Is Now! Questions? Contact xplorations@hmns.org or call 713-639-4652. Don’t forget you can Refer a Friend when registering for Summer Camp, and you’ll both receive a discount! More information on that can be found here. Parent’s Guide to Xplorations Summer Camp is the basics of what you need to know! […]
Every aspect of our world is ultimately controlled by geologic forces far beneath our feet. Under the influence of mantle convection, mountain ranges rise, great rifts open in the earth, oceans form and then disappear. This is no exaggeration. We all learned about plate tectonics in high school; how the crust of the earth […]
Lecture – Hearth, Heart, Home: Skara Brae’s Early Stone Age Dwellings by Martin Carruthers What was it about an ancient windswept place in the remote Orkney Islands that caused people to invest so much effort in creating one of the earliest examples of permanent homes? Skara Brae, a Stone Age village and UNESCO World […]
