There's something kinda cool at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Yeah, the temperature in a certain room, for one. Because, in a large, cool room in the Music Section of the Madison Building of the Library of Congress, in many drawers, is the largest collection of musical instruments in one place in the world!

Mr. Miller was a scientist from Ohio and also a flute player.He also invented some interesting things!

In early 1896, Professor Miller became one of the first Americans to take an x-ray photograph.
in 1908 he introduced the phonodeik, a device that changed sound waves into something that could be seen.

Dr. Miller's interests in acoustics and music-making were really responsible for starting the collection on its way,and are reflected in his collection of flutes and wind instruments. He kept them in his garage, over 1,600 flutes, recorders, pan pipes, and statues of flute players! Because of that, some of them weren't in great shape when he began to get ready to donate them to the Library of Congress. (He died before he could actually do that himself.)

Among the things he collected were:
Flutes by 460 European and American instrument makers
a flute belonging to King Frederick II of Prussia, designed by his
teacher, Joachim Quantz
seventeen crystal flutes, one made in 1813 and presented to President James Madison
over 130 Native North and South American flutes
17th/18th century
jade examples from China
A flute and case owned by one of the Napoleon Emporers

Check them out! Click on the thumbnail picture to see the larger picture

Glass Flutes	Old Bassoons (yes, he collected some other instruments, too!)	Flutes Made from Bone
A Big Collection of Panpipes	Piccolos	Tortoise-shell Recorder
Half flutes.(One flute was made for a Civil War veteran who had lost his arm).	Crystal Flutes	Flute of Frederick the Great

Want to learn more? Visit the website section of the Library of Congress that has more information!