Where's Marty? Taking In The History At The National Electronics Museum
Hi everyone!
You have most likely been to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. If so, and you took Elkridge Landing Road in, chances are you have passed the National Electronics Museum.
It is 41 years old and jammed full with enough items and history to keep you busy for at least a couple hours. Pictures simply don't do this institution justice. Room after room, laid out in chronological order, are electronics that were developed over the years. And there is a huge Maryland connection.
Westinghouse Electric was a big employer for decades in Maryland. And Westinghouse invented or designed some of the greatest military applications in modern history. Yes much of the electronic "toys" we have today have a military origin, whether we're talking about doppler radar monitoring the skies over the Arctic Circle during the Cold War or the computer guidance for defense that brought our personal computers and devices into the modern era.
Do you enjoy listening to music? The Moog Synthesizer has its roots on a variable frequency device there. If you are a fan of EDM, it all has to do with hearing changes in frequency.
Even the submersible robotic submarine used to find the Titanic was developed in Maryland. And sitting in one corner of the museum, you'll find one of those submersible crafts. It's about the size of a steamer trunk that would have been carried aboard the doomed luxury ship.
The pandemic really hurt this gem, causing it to close for a year and a half. In that time, the museum lost a lot of grant funding. With its lease also expiring, the museum will be moving next March once a suitable location is found. But that move will require money. If you care to visit the museum's website, here's the link.
Thank you, National Electronics Museum and staff, for hosting us Tuesday morning on WJZ at 9.
- Marty B!