Is This The World’s Most Dangerous Toy?

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has a very unusual artifact in its collection: an object that’s been called “the world’s most dangerous toy.” It’s a science kit from the 1950s, designed to teach kids about the atom and atomic energy, but the twist is…it contains real samples of uranium. We explore the kit’s contents, and the context in which it was made.

• Check out the Atlas Obscura video of the kit, and our past episode on Atomic Las Vegas 
• Explore the archival material mentioned in this episode: “Duck and Cover” (1951), “A is for Atom” (1953), and President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech

Did you have one of these Atomic Energy Lab kits or other atomic toys? Or how about toys that would be considered dangerous today? We want to hear from you: Drop us a line at [email protected] or call us 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

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