The scientific kit for children of the 1950s that contained four samples of radioactive materials

The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab was a toy lab set produced by Alfred Carlton Gilbert

The set came with four types of low-level uranium ore (Pb – 210, Ru – 106, Zn – 65 and Po – 210), an electroscope, a Geiger counter (to measure radioactivity), a spinthoscope (to observe nuclear decays) and a fog chamber (used to detect ionizing radiation particles).
The Atomic Energy Laboratory was only one of a dozen chemical reaction laboratory kits on the market at that time, long before Quimicefa and the like became fashionable.

Gilbert’s toys often included instructions on how the child could use the set to make his own “magic show.” For parents it was the belief that the use of chemical reactions by the sets directed their children towards a potential career in science and engineering.

The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab included a manual to search for uranium and a comic, which ensured that the government would reward $ 10,000 to anyone who discovered new sources of precious mineral.