This revolutionary pneumatic tyre was donated to the museum by its maker, John Boyd Dunlop, in 1910. But who really invented it?

In 2013, National Museums Scotland acquired one metal sculpture and one work on paper by contemporary Australian artist Danie Mellor.

In the early 18th century, natural history was an increasingly popular pastime and many people visited fields and ponds, often bringing a microscope, to investigate the flora and fauna.

These silver spoons were bought by Assistant Surgeon Stewart Chisholm using prize money awarded to him for his service at Waterloo.

This exhibition explored the life and career of Bernat Klein, one of the 20th century’s leading forces in modernist design, in this free exhibition marking the centenary of his birth.

Join curator Anna Groundwater for a guided virtual tour of life in Renaissance Scotland at the National Museum of Scotland.

Join curator Margaret Maitland for a guided virtual tour of our Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery.

Explore the National Museum of Flight with your class using our themed trails.

Discover the life of the National Bard through the collections of National Museums Scotland.

Preparing for the Art of Glass exhibition at National Museum of Scotland.

From Samurai treasures to tiny netsuke, the National Museum of Scotland has the largest Japanese collection in Scotland.

A huge range of different elements are used to make up the components of a mobile phone. But did you know that many of them can be found in minerals you can see on display at the National Museum of Scotland?

Watch as artist Kayleigh McCallum shows you how to draw a King Penguin from our collection.

Watch as artist Kayleigh McCallum shows you how to draw an Egyptian Coffin from our collection.

Watch as artist Kayleigh McCallum shows you how to draw the Hunterston Brooch from our collection.

Summer is usually the season for gala days and rural shows, including our own Heavy Horse Show. Celebrate the champions you know – family, friends or even pets - by making them a personalised rosette!

The story of how specimens make their way into a museum’s collection is often a peculiar one.

Explore the National Museum of Scotland with your class using our themed trails.

Can you complete our Selfie Safari challenge? Find all the animals and take a family portrait with each one!

This Victorian scale model of a printing press was made in the Museum's own workshop.

Meet the 12 metre-long, spectacular life-sized skeleton cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the star attractions at the National Museum of Scotland.

The Wester Kittochside Farm at National Museum of Rural Life was owned and run by the Reid family for more than 400 years. Find out how the tenth laird and his family celebrated Christmas and New Year on the farm.

This tumbler was given by Napoleon to Captain Francis Maitland of HMS Bellerophon, which took the deposed Emperor away.

The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. A stunning pair of Hawk wings with the iconic RAF Red Arrows livery are on display in the new Explore gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.

The National Museum of Flight is open and tickets are available to book online.

Learn more ahead of your visit to the National Museum of Scotland.

Explore the future of flight with fun, family activities at the National Museum of Flight.

This page contains a range of dinosaur themed activities for P5-7. The activities can be used alongside our Digital Schools Session or to support classroom or home learning.

Explore inside the National Museum of Rural Life with your class using our themed trails.

What do museum collections reveal about Britain’s and Scotland’s role in the Transatlantic slave system and the experiences of enslaved people?

This striking ceremonial standing cup and cover was created especially for the Museum by virtuoso silversmith Malcolm Appleby.

Discover the story of the people who designed, built and operated Scotland's lighthouses through the objects which brought their role to life.

Among the museum's collection in storage are a group of Thai ceramics excavated at Sawankhalok.

A Stirling engine is powered by hot air rather than steam. Now 200 years old, its revolutionary technology has become even more relevant today.

Visitors met the most feared and revered of all dinosaurs in this cutting-edge exhibition, that brought the latest discoveries in palaeontology to life and challenging preconceptions about these ferocious predators.

A unique, full-length mummy shroud, which is over 2,000 years old yet is still in remarkable condition, has been discovered in National Museums Scotland’s collections.

The National Museum of Rural Life is open and tickets are available to book online.

Mode brings the museum's wardrobe to life with a selection of 30 objects from the world of fashion.

Uniquely Scottish Silver brings together five distinctively Scottish silver designs: mazers, quaichs, thistle cups, ovoid urns and heart brooches.

Welcome to the world of the Lewis chess pieces! Discover all there is to know about these mysterious figures in this interactive resource.

The National War Museum is located within Edinburgh Castle. Find out how to get the most from your visit here.

See an iconic piece of Scotland’s national heritage, the silver casket believed to have been owned by Mary, Queen of Scots.

Over the last 300 years, Scottish scientists and engineers have made discoveries and inventions that have changed our relationship with the world. From simple, everyday processes to cutting edge of 21st-century medicine, Scotland remains at the heart of scientific innovation.

Explore highlights of our Japanese collection, from tiny netsuke to cutting edge designs, superb ceramics to Ainu artefacts.

The destruction of Hamilton Palace, the grandest stately home in Britain, was one of the greatest losses to national heritage ever to happen in this country. This is the story of how Scotland’s biggest treasure trove was won and lost.

All you need to know for a great family visit at the museum.

In 2018, the internationally renowned metalsmith Simone ten Hompel was commissioned by National Museums Scotland and The Glenmorangie Company to create a new artwork inspired by our curatorial research and the Museum’s collection of metal artefacts from early medieval Scotland.

In 2015, the Edinburgh Iranian Festival and National Museums Scotland celebrated new movements in Iranian dress and design with a magnificent fashion show. On this occasion, the Museum acquired a selection of women’s clothing for its existing textile collection from Iran.