Spinthariscope: the Ultimate Atomic Toy

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The Spinthariscope was invented in 1903 by British scientist Sir William Crookes, and was one of the first instruments capable of detecting radioactive decay directly and in real-time. Though short-lived as a scientific instrument, Spinthariscopes were popular in the 1950s as a children's toy and still sold today as scientific novelties.

[@Muonium1]

Glad to see it worked out for you! As it happens, I'm actually from Rochester. A couple decades after this incident Kodak Research Labs would refine their emulsion purity and contamination detection capabilities to such exquisite heights that it required them to get into neutron activation analysis of trace elements in their process reagents. For this task they constructed a nuclear reactor in the basement of their KRL building 82 on Lake Ave. and kept it secret from everyone in the surrounding community including local government (save for the fire department) for the next half-century until its disassembly a decade or so ago. Though only a subcritical californium initiated neutron multiplier and thus incapable of experiencing a criticality excursion, it nonetheless contained a substantial chunk of highly enriched weapons grade U235!

[@CanadianMacGyver]

Wow! I'm thinking that I need to do a more detailed, standalone video on that incident!

[@harryschaefer8563]

As a frestman at RIT, The Kodak Tower served as my nightlight in my dormroom on the 9th floor of Nathanial Rochester Hall. I owe my 40 year career at NIH to Kodak products!

[@jackodd8284]

Random Human; oh yeah that camera company had a secret chunk of death's toenail fungus and told nobody but the fire department, who agreed to be cool about it so long as they " were careful with it" And thus funded further research to benefit mankind. Another random human: Right that building helped me find my way to the bathroom at night. Benefits of atomic energy. @@harryschaefer8563 Also can someone bring back the lone ranger atomic bomb decoder ring? Would fly off the shelves. Or warehouses. Or wherever toys are sold now.

[@christianterrill3503]

Where the hell did they get the weapons grade uranium?

[@Muonium1]

@@harryschaefer8563 Because white people are evil and black people are magical, this is now called "Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall". lol

[@VortexStolenName]

childrens toy in the 50's: watch a radioactive isotope decay. children's toy in the 2020's: lego fortnite dab

[@Keith_WB2VUO]

Many years before I retired, I worked in a test lab that performed radiography of welds and castings. We used GM tubes to measure and detect gamma radiation from our isotope "cameras". When looking for possible leaks in our sealed sources, test swipes were sent to the source manufacturer and examined with a scintillation detector. I was the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) and had to be familiar with all of these instruments and their histories. I was nodding in agreement with your bullet points throughout the video. It brought back memories here! Well presented, and, as Bob Hope used to sing, "Thank You For The Memories..."

[@christopherleubner6633]

Things have changed a lot since then now they have flat panel detectors that are basically a huge CCD that can capture the image. They also have extremely sensitive scintillating crystal arrays using CsI:Tl crystals and SiPM sensors that can use very little radiation to get a good image.❤

[@MorganSullivan]

In the oilfield we use scintillation detectors to identity formations (different layers of earth). I thought you might find this interesting...

[@unitednuclear6454]

Thank you for the support and the detailed information offered in this video.

[@jimtheedcguy4313]

I'm so glad I discovered your channel! The machinations of every day things and not so common things are something that I'm extremely into!

[@jozefbubez6116]

As a kid I had one of these aka radium watch with which my grandmother presented me in 1957. By viewing with dark-adapted eyes and a small magnifying lens it was indeed possible to confirm that the supposed constant illumination actually comprised individual scintillations. Fascinating! I wish I had the watch today but 'donated' the by then defunct time-piece 10 years later to my high-school having attached same to a (then ancient) glass photographic plate and on developing some days later, an image of the hands appeared thereon.

[@Dennis-uc2gm]

I'm always amazed of the varied devices that allow us to see activity real time or record how much has taken place. Fascinating stuff.

[@The_Future_isnt_so_Bright]

Kodak's investigation team deserves a nobel prize or something.

[@jimurrata6785]

DeserevED. Nobel's are NOT awarded posthumously

[@getnospams]

Delightfully accessible explanations, and deep dives into related history. Nice work! Thank you.

[@noumenon3020]

Fun fact: United Nuclear is owned and operated by its founder Bob Lazar, infamous for his claims of reverse engineering UFOs at Los Alamos. His expertise in the field of nuclear materials should, I believe, give people pause when questioning the veracity of his accounts. In any case, I have one of these spintheriscopes as well and love it! Yours is the first in depth video I’ve seen on it, and a good one too. Thank you!

[@gencymexmex6412]

I came here to recognize the great Bobby Lazers as well! Glad you beat me to it.😊

[@Sparkette]

Another thing that should give people pause when questioning him is that now we're finally starting to see whistleblowers come out and talk about these secret programs. Previously the only place I ever heard of them was online forums and stuff; there were no visible signs to even suggest that the government was hiding something of this magnitude. But now, seeing as they probably are, I'm glad the people are on their way to finding out the truth.

[@deesnutz42069]

"expertise"

[@Anson120]

He was just an electronic technician at los alamos. Would not trust him with my credit card info at all. LOL

[@brody3166]

Yeah there's no way in hell that there's UFOs there, and even less of a chance that he saw any, AND even LESS of a chance the military just lets him talk about it openly. Like seriously, the stealth jets are classified and no one is allowed to talk about those, but aliens are fair game?I think he just made it up.

[@wayneyadams]

7:36 You don't crush the quartz crystal, you apply pressure to it thus deforming (compress or stretch) it slightly. This upsets the balance of positive and negative charge in the crystal lattice creating a net positive charge at one end and a net negative charge at the other. 12:23 Here is a little trivia related to this story. Art forgery is detected by checking the paint and canvas for traces of radioactivity which was not present in the atmosphere until after the nuclear age started. When an art forger, no matter how skilled, mixes his paint it will contain trace amounts of radioactive material which is detectable thus exposing the forgery.

[@steelcannibal]

Such an underrated channel, very informationally rich, Love your work!

[@Axgoodofdunemaul]

"The most 1950s object ever created!" Hahha! Very good. I was a kid in the early 50s, and saw all those boxtop things, and actually sent off for some of them. My father explained this one to me, then said he could show me the effect without investing 15 cents and then waiting an interminal period for it to arrive. That night he came into my room after the lights had been out for an hour and let me examine his radium-powered watch dial up close. With my super-sharp boy's vision I could see that the glowing hands and numerals were faintly flickering. He said those were atomic particles hitting the other stuff. I was impressed. Modern glowing watch dials don't flicker. Later, when I was in the Vietnam War, I learned that our compasses were filled with radon gas. Not dangerous unless you were in a warehouse full of them. Or let a nearby VC see them glowing in the night. Fun with science! I enjoy your shows, and I especially like your self-presentation as a geeky 50s teenager. Because I had lots of geeky friends in high school in the later 50s, I know your character is a parody exaggeration, but It's fun and effective. Thanks for the work you do; you are a benefit to our nation.

[@Axgoodofdunemaul]

@BanterMaestro2-bw9vr You're right.

[@kiq4767]

Criminally underrated channel

[@charly4594]

Excellent presentation , thank you I also remember seeing the random splashes of particles affecting the 16mm film that was taken during the first bomb tests, as well inffilm of the arial views of the explosions in Japan.

[@Reagae-fv3cp]

Great vid! So much info in just 15 minutes and at an understandable level :) thanks

[@MrKalashnikov47]

Haven't seen a video that I haven't greatly appreciated, thank you.

[@PrivateEyeYiYi]

The Gilbert chemistry set I got for my 10th birthday in 1959 included one of these. It also had some neat chemicals like potassium ferrocyanide. Today’s chemistry sets might contain baking soda and vinegar with a book full of safty warnings. Lame!

[@georgeburns7251]

Had the same kit in 1959.

[@earthsystem]

My kit in the 60s was still pretty good. It still had reasonable chemical variety!

[@kenmohler4081]

In a fairly recent article I saw about what has happened to chemistry sets, the was a photograph of a modern set which stated in bold letters “CONTAINS NO CHEMICALS.”

[@earthsystem]

@@kenmohler4081 dumbing down of future scientists, and this has been at least 15-20 years of "safe chemistry" sets with beet juice and vinegar style pH "experiences"

[@wetcanoedogs]

same year same kit! you could make gun powder too!

[@ClergetMusic]

I like your use of “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

[@radnaut]

I love when I watch something that connects so many dots it’s amazing. As far as my understanding of nuclear physics and just history in general. Such a good video and I already knew about the Kodak incident at the end which is a cool story all in itself. You have to watch. I’m subscribing to this channel for sure. Great video! Bravo 👏

[@Woffy.]

Great presentation, so fluid without auto-cue, you have an incredible ability to recall information. Thanks

[@Kareem-Ahmed]

Great video. It's not only about radioactive-measuring devices, but also a brief history of the related discoveries. 👍

[@zacharylovelady9265]

I'm so glad I found your channel

[@pepe6666]

wow the caliber of content is amazing. i love the story of the radioactive water being used in the packaging of the kodak film

[@Owl90]

The green is a good color choice. Good job!

[@RichardFreeberg]

Excellent presentation. Thanks.

[@roberthewitt9925]

I always thumbs up videos that pronounce piezoelectric correctly. Thanks!

[@b43xoit]

But he gets "fission" wrong.

[@woodennecktie]

very transparant explanation , thanks

[@h7opolo]

Most excellent lecture. you earned my subscription.

[@BLKBRDD]

The green bowtie is perfect for the nuclear aesthetic. Would be a neat trick to have one that glows like radium 😅

[@sierrawhiskey5144]

I wanted to take a moment to complement your choice in curios to share, and your very dapper appearance.

[@jessevanderhamm]

I’ve been watching KZbin since its creation and I’m not exaggerating even a little when I say this is the absolute coolest channel I’ve ever come across. I love it so much! Also, why in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks don’t we get mind blowingly cool toys in cereal boxes anymore? Like that atomic ring that was a spinthariscope! I would have crapped my pants as a kid if something like that was in my cereal box! I’m so jealous of the 1950’s…

[@charlesachurch7265]

Fascinating presentation thanks xxx

[@peterparsons7141]

Always very interesting and informative.

[@user-oo3fx1wb8u]

Very well presented my friend and greetings from Darvel Ayrshire Scotland to you ..great video

[@magic.marmot]

This was cool, getting a glimpse of the genius that helped bring us where we are today.

[@HighlanderNorth1]

Yes, and thanks to *United Nuclear* for producing uncommon but cool scientific products. They helped me complete my element collection years ago.

[@Inflorescensse]

i’ve got a quartz fiber dosimeter from Duke University catacombs retrieved 1973. I use it my science class.

[@robert-wr9xt]

Logic and science. Awesome!

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

As a child, I would read about these early experimenters, and I would ask so many questions about them and their work. Unfortunately, the 'toys' of that era were expensive and rare, and so I could only read about them. Which turns out to be a good thing, as the materials used by the early experimenters, would cause disease and death of the people involved in using them!

[@NoahSpurrier]

These are pretty easy to make. Lots of fun.

[@ingramjd]

14:28 why did I waste years studying, I just needed to wait for this video to come along.

[@christopherleubner6633]

You can make one of these from the screen out of dead russian nigtvision or CRT tubes. If you like you can coat a microscope slide with phosphor powder out of a CRT by spray coating the slide with glue then using a static field applied to the powder in a small tray. Make the coating as thin as possible. ❤

[@Cherb123456]

Thank you very much!

[@zacharylovelady9265]

I love your videos!!!!!

[@tyreeztt]

Glad you gave a shout out to United Nuclear! Love Bob!!!

[@carlbrenninkmeijer8925]

Thank you !!

[@jeffreysantner3717]

I like how you use the same music talking about atoms that was in the beginning of The Day After.

[@Mrsheep-sn1iu]

pictures at an expedition was a good choice for the opening

[@johns7734]

I made one of these as a kid, many, many moons ago! I had an atomic energy kit (which you could buy at that time) that had some uranium ore, a cloud chamber and a tiny sample of radium paint. It was on the head of a pin, stuck in a cork with phosphor on the cork's face, in a tube to contain it. I stuck a jewler's loupe on the end of the tube and made my own spinthariscope. Good times! You could never do that now.

[@johns7734]

@@comedicsketches Yes, but not marketed for kids! These days, they keep all the fun stuff for adults.

[@noahkleugh9323]

Great explanation, thanks. How about something on the Wilson Cloud Chamber?

[@jenpsakiscousin4589]

Isn’t united nuclear Bob Lazars company? The Area 51 guy?

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

I've been looking for one of these to demonstrate that you can see atomic decay in real time. Been having an argument with a friend!

[@MAlam_10Kv]

Cathode ray tube was first invented by German scientist Karl Ferdinand Braun in 1897 😮

[@omega_wolf8412]

4:12 Achievement Unlocked: Memory Snatching 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@markworden9169]

Weird this reminds me that my dad had a scintillator it was in the attic for years, used obsolete dry cell batteries, he was prospecting for uranium ore in the 50s I think.

[@rogerscottcathey]

So that's where JC Bose got the idea for the crescograph

[@WA1LBK]

Fascinating explanation of radiation detectors! 😊

[@Calilasseia]

Don't forget that other "Most 1950's object ever created", in the form of the Gilbert Atomic Science Laboratory. Gilbert had already been selling chemistry sets as educational toys to children, but his company then upped the ante with a nuclear science lab for kids ... complete with its own cloud chamber. I think that had a spinthariscope in the box too ...

[@ivanardila]

Thank you so much for your explanations. They help me a lot in my own work. I wrote a book about Fukushima nuclear disaster and I wanted to know more about the devices capable of detecting radioactivitie, and the way they work, in order to explain this issue to my readers. Do you speak about the nuclear disasters too? As the mention or the contamination of water due to the first nuclear plants in the US, or Chernobil.

[@joshuaholder655]

Wonderful Video!, I was wondering what was the name of the musical arrangement in the intro!

[@higgs923]

Still catching up. I'm in my mid-seventies and I recall that one of my childhood sets from I believe it was A.C. Gilbert included a Spinthariscope. I can only conclude that the Fifties fad of Xray shoe fitting counteracted the effects of it.

[@malectric]

I knew about ZnS a long time ago and as it happens, I have some powdered sulphur and some zinc turnings somewhere in my bits and pieces so I shall make some and put it to use.

[@fratercontenduntocculta8161]

I had heard faint rumbling of this device, and now it appears in all it's glory on my favorite channel!

[@joshuaworley3898]

I wonder how well it would work attached to your starlight scope.

[@therealjamespickering]

Radioactive children's toys? How 1950's is that!

[@jamestimmons6838]

It is not entirely correct that the spinthariscope is no longer used as a scientific instrument. The current version is the nuclear medicine camera.

[@deltacx1059]

3:00 you need to raise the ISO to atleast 3200 if not higher and take a VERY long exposure. It's not great but it would pick up something. I use my camera to see faint objects all the time using those methods, not great for moving objects unless you can track them but it would pick up the green glow.

[@RussLinzmeier]

Enjoyed your video . If I might suggest a future video , how about a cloud chamber showing how some particle fly in straight lines and others curve or zig zag while flying thru the chamber . How can an atomic particle curve it's course without any magnetic field nearby ?

[@robertschnobert9090]

I love the green bowtie! Great video hahaha 🌈 take care and stay healthy 🌈

[@lexinexi-hj7zo]

If you put Radium into a neon tube what color does it glow? Green(lol)? Xe is an opaque white.

[@monolitwoods]

This must be where METRO got the idea of the green dots appearing in high radiation areas

[@invictus126]

Какой широкий обзор с массой интересных фактов и историй! И так мало просмотров 🤷‍♂️ Спасибо за работу и полезный материал.

[@kkristopher7413]

I have one from an old chemistry set from the 50s or 60s. I also have the one from United Nuclear. The older one is more brighter and easier to see. They are neat

[@TapticDigital]

A camera with an adjustable aperture and high ISO range should do fine to pick up the flashes.

[@PplsChampion]

if you got it from united nuclear, you bought this device from bob lazar, awesome

[@GrizaLeono]

Dankon pro viaj interesaj klarigoj!

[@garypreston7402]

i has a ring like that; it worked.

[@chasewilkinson1977]

Gilles reviewing an oil filter

[@Microtonal_Cats]

3:38 much cooler than a diamond ring. True nerds would prefer this to a diamond for engagement ring.

[@halfsourlizard9319]

Honey, I might not love you forever, but I'm yours for at least a couple of half lives ...

[@cptcosmo]

Americium 241 is what they used to use in Smoke Detectors.

[@b43xoit]

He mentions that they still do. And no caps on those detectors.

[@zachreyhelmberger894]

Maybe a micro-channel plate image intensifier would help??

[@silberfuchsoutdoor7604]

Please, what is the name of the Song in the beginning? It sounds so majestic ❤

[@PigletCNC]

Hah! That intro tune. Nice.

[@theunknowngamer5477]

I have seen the face of some other dimension.

[@markusalbe]

How could Fallout miss this!!!

[@justimagine2403]

Also have a plasma ball from Spencer's. It sets off the geiger counter?

[@VKURDR]

i am thinking about why they thought it was a great idea to put radium near children's eyes. What could go wrong?

[@karhukivi]

The modern version of the spinthariscope is not as good as the original Crooke's version (very hard to find even in antique shops). You could see the tiny flashes of light clearly in a Crookes version but the modern one has a blurry moving pool of light and the individual flashes are not resolved. I think we are looking at the screen from the other side in the modern version, while the Crookes had the screen at the bottom and the source was between the eyepiece and the screen. Still a nice way to show people radioactive disintegrations thanks to United Nuclear.

[@newtonpritchett9887]

Oh, no. Now I need to know the song that this video opens with. Halp?

[@evanjohnson8418]

Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade 1

[@dundermifflinity]

Can’t fool me with a beard and posh accent, PhotonicInduction

[@lusoverse8710]

3:29. Should have been an advert in Fallout 3. See Genuine Atoms SPLIT to Smithereens!

[@Diapason16ft]

The quartz crystal is actually shaped like a tuning fork.

[@neptunevibe]

Ah those cereals! They added radium for bone health! Good times… good times

[@sobertillnoon]

What are all the little white dots in the video timeline as I watch?

[@jimurrata6785]

Chapters, or paragraphs in the script

[@sobertillnoon]

@@jimurrata6785 there are so many that they don't seem to correspond to any information and they are uninteractive.

[@justimagine2403]

Hello from Iowa. How radiated are we over here? I have family from that time period who told stories of reddish snow that tasted metallic. They never thought of what that could be until I told them about the tests and the Sedan test in particular. They were from Pomeroy Iowa. Not necessarily Monroe county but still... creepy to deduce these events. Spinthariscope... might need to get one. Though putting a "SOURCE" next to my eye seems... foolish?

[@rty1955]

As an assembly programmer for over 50 yrs and have written on vast amounts of CPUs from IBM mainframes to PIC processors, I think I am fully qualified to suggest to the creator to FIRST describe the CPU fully. Only then can one understand register names, usage, & limitations of the x86 processor. I personally find a stack pointer totally unnecessary as IBM Mainframes never had them and work perfectly fine. You dont go into depth as to OS function calls (which varies based upon various OS's) this leave the viewer scratching their head saying "WTF!" I self taught myself mainframe assembly and used a book by "Shelly & Cashman" I have taught mainframe assembly language @ NYU in NYC for years

[@kevinmartin7760]

You may know your assembler language, but I think you're in the wrong video.

[@earthsystem]

He's offering an idea for a future video dude!

[@tonyennis1787]

In your simulation at about 3:00, do the flashes actually appear that frequently? Are there alpha particles that don't hit the screen but instead hit your eye?

[@1906Farnsworth]

Alpha particles won't get through the screen. They don't penetrate much of anything, not even skin. Just don't get the source into your body. That is way bad.The flash is the particle giving up its energy.

[@Himechinachae]

Alpha particles most definitely won't do you any harm in an enclosure like this one, a piece of paper is enough to block alpha particles after all

[@jacekruzyczka3058]

This device could serve as part of a random number generator.

[@thestarshavefallen]

Bro purchased the device from Bob Lazar's company United Nuclear.

[@bradleyheathhaysable]

What show is that music from at the beginning of your video?