Pacific Science Center displays gadgets a spy would love

  • By Andrea Brown Herald Writer
  • Friday, March 21, 2014 1:45pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

That poison umbrella.

It’s the real thing.

So, too, is the Enigma cipher machine used by Nazi Germany to encrypt and decipher messages, later broken by the Allies during World War II, and a spy camera for pigeons invented by the CIA.

You can see these items up close and personal — well, not too personal — at “Spy: The Secret World of Espionage” at Pacific Science Center.

“These are the real items,” said Diana Johns, the science center’s vice president of exhibits. “What people are seeing are actual gadgets used in this country and other places.”

There are about 250 tools-of-the trade used by spies and spy catchers at the exhibit that opens March 29 and continues through Sept. 1.

Many items are from the CIA, FBI, NRC (National Reconnaissance Office) and the collection of H. Keith Melton, author of “The Ultimate Spy” and the forthcoming “Spy’s Guide to New York City.”

“One of the interesting things: A lot of the technologies are pretty old,” Johns said. “We just didn’t know about them for a long time. People will be surprised at how sophisticated a lot of this stuff was even as long ago as World War II.

“These led to things we take for granted every day, such as satellites that allowed us in this case to see what the Soviets were doing. The satellite phone is a precursor to something like smartphones,” Johns said.

Interactive displays in the spy exhibit tell stories through technologies and testimonials.

Access into the secret world of espionage isn’t limited to the exhibit.

Children can have spy-themed birthday parties at the center where guests create an agent identity and use tools to reveal secret clues hidden in plain sight.

At special happy hours, adults can become a 007 agent for the evening and dance the night away with the hottest and coolest secret agents in town.

Make sure to order that martini shaken, not stirred.

Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com

Spy events

For adults, 21 and over:

“Brews and Clues: Tapping the IPL,” 7 to 10 p.m. March 29. Tickets are $40 and include unlimited tastings from Pyramid Breweries and a souvenir pint glass.

“STEM: Science Uncorked,” 7 to 10 p.m. April 24. Explore the science of wine straight from the vine. Find out why wine glasses come in different shapes and sizes. Learn about the chemistry of wine and the proper technique for smelling your wine before tasting. Tickets are $45 and include unlimited tastings and a souvenir wine glass.

Children’s birthday parties: In addition to espionage, themes include astronomy, dinosaurs, bugs and butterflies, spa lab and weird science. Guests can tour the center after the party.

If you go

The Pacific Science Center began as the U.S. Science Pavilion during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

The six-acre museum near the Space Needle at 200 Second Ave. N., has hands-on science exhibits, IMAX theaters, a tropical butterfly house, science-related shows, discovery carts, a laser dome and a planetarium.

Events include summer camps, parties and parents’ night out.

Admission: “Spy: The Secret World of Espionage” includes access to the center’s permanent exhibits. Tickets are $29 adult; $27 senior; youth are $16 to $21.

The center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information, call 800-664-8775. Tickets are also available to purchase at the box office or at www.pacificsciencecenter.org.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.