History of the World in Objects

This is what I love about the internet: free and abundant access to information. I almost can't believe that I don't need a subscription for this. Here BBC Radio gives Neil MacGregor the floor in a series of segments tracing world history through 100 objects. MacGregror is the Director of the British Museum and author of A History of the World in 100 Objects. In this short segment one object vies for the (coveted?) 100th position of objects in the history of the world. An Antarctic explorer's outfit composed of a cagoule, insulated boots, and pants represents Man's preparedness for "the last point in the world that humanity has actually lived in." Though its not likely that this is open to voting, it has mine. As few other clothing has made it into the list for archival reasons, this makes a good choice. More likely though, since proper clothing is among the 10 essentials for survival in the backcountry, it stands to reason it has been essential to the evolution of man.

The whole series is an interesting curatorial work from MacGregor and is available online here.