Trivia
HardYale’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library Has “Windows” Made Of?

Answer: Marble
Let’s say you’re tasked with creating a beautiful library that will house rare books and manuscripts, that you want it filled with warm natural light without a single ray of ultraviolet light striking a single page of any of the hundreds of thousands of rare books held within. If not for the natural light requirement, you could just build a bunker-like structure where nary a spine-fading or page-damaging ray of ultraviolet light could land. The lighting requirement, however, complicates the matter. That’s the situation Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill found himself in when tasked with creating the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library for Yale University in the 1960s.
The solution? The “windows” of the library are massive slabs of marble from Danby, Vermont, warm in color and rich with veining, quarried to a thinness that renders them translucent. The result is not only practical (indirect light is admitted to the library with no risk of direct sunlight damaging the books), but beautiful: the library is bathed in amber light.
Trivia
HardThe U.S. State With The Greatest Elevation Span Is?
Trivia
EasyIn English Culture, “Bangers” Are?
Trivia
HardOld Faithful, The Famous Yellowstone Geyser, Was Once Routinely Used For?
Trivia
HardEarly Versions Of What Thing Were Known As “Boneshakers”?
Trivia
HardJames Bond, The Iconic And Fictional British Spy, Was Named After A Real?
Trivia
HardWhich Moon Orbits Closest To Its Host Planet?
Trivia
HardWhich Iconic Sci-Fi Figure Made A Cameo Appearance In Every Episode Of Firefly?
Trivia
Very HardThe Strongest Biological Substance Found In Nature Is?
Trivia
HardThe Tradition Of Dyeing The Chicago River Green For St. Patrick’s Day Was Started By?