MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Stanley]

Yes, but what is it? (Good man Tiz, make them work!)

[Gloria]

It looks as though it's exactly one foot long, so, is it a measure of some description?

[Stanley]

You are almost there Gloria, go a bit further down that road!

[Gloria]

It's giving me a headache, I've got black, wood and road buzzing about. A spacer? Something to do with looms, just thinking aloud now.

[Stanley]

I can't watch you suffering Gloria and you were so close. It's an ebony ruler. It doesn't have graduations on it but it was handy for ruling lines on a page as if you rolled it they were parallel. Very common in old-fashioned offices or with bookkeepers.
Next for shaving?

[plaques]

Ebony rods were used for demonstrating static electricity. If you were a Stanley class aristocrat you would rub it with your old silk shirt. Lower orders would use a dead cat skin. All explained in the weekly comics, Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac. Over to you Tizer.

[Gloria]

Thankyou Stanley, headache gone.

[Tizer]

According to Wikipedia, black rods of ebonite were also used to demonstrate static electricity. Ebonite is a material made from hard rubber, also known as vulcanite. Ebonite

[Stanley]

A lot of 'ebony' is in fact fruit wood or other hardwoods dyed black. I call the ruler ebony but in truth I am not sure.
Try this one....

[chinatyke]

I remember these from before, as was the case for the ebony rod! I'm keeping quiet again.

[StoneRoad]

They look familiar to me, as well.
But I can't place the context, time to exercise the little grey cells !

[Stanley]

You've got good memories..... If I remember rightly it eluded everyone last time. I shan't let it run too long, it's a bit technical.

[plaques]

All them that knows is keeping quiet. Is this a record?

[chinatyke]

All them that knows is keeping quiet. Is this a record?

[Gloria]

Sssssssshhhhhh

[Stanley]

I think one of you ought to have a go if you all know it......

[chinatyke]

Replacement blades for your bolt cutter/cropper?

[Tizer]

I'll assume China has got the right answer for the last object and rush in with this new mystery. Can you tell me what is special about the aircraft in these two postcard pictures?

[StoneRoad]

Are they the first two Concordes to break the sound barrier - or maybe do Mach 2 ?

[PanBiker]

The British and French prototypes of Concorde?

[Big Kev]

The first two to go into regular service?

[Tizer]

Not the first into regular service but not prototype either, somewhere between those - it took 7 years between first flight of a prototype Concorde and the first commercial flight. As for first to break the sound barrier, I don't know the answer to that. I'm looking for something special to the two photos that's not technical but more to do with promotion. Do a bit of lateral thinking!

[StoneRoad]

Playing together at the Paris Air Show 1970 (the same year they got past Mach 2)

or
the simultaneous landing at Dulles 24th May 1976 to celebrate start of scheduled services to USA

[Stanley]

China got the replacement jaws for the Record bolt-cutter right. Good memory!
The two aircraft are at different venues. The French are allowing the public to crawl all over theirs, we have guards on the BA one to keep people away.

[Tizer]

StoneRoad has got closest with his `playing together'. The photos were taken on the same day at the same airport. Think promotion and how you could make the most of that visit at a time, like now, when we were subject to austerity measures.