During her last years she slept on a cot with only her dog for a companion. More than 15,000 glass water pitchers hung from her barn’s ceiling, and every other imaginable place.

Close your eyes and imagine artifacts and collectibles from 60 sports Halls of Fames, sports governing bodies and other top athletic organizations collected in a single space — in the city that never sleeps. Open your eyes and you’ll see that you’ve imagined the newly-opened Sports Museum of America in New York City.

Jack St. Clair Kilby’s invention of the integrated circuit (IC), or microchip, at Texas Instruments in 1958 revolutionized the world, creating limitless applications for computers, calculators, space-age technology and much more.

As the political world and the U.S. dollar continue to inspire uncertainty, pop culture collectibles continue to offer solid performance, historical insights and simple enjoyment. Whether one is a player in the marketplace, an casual observer or simply a history buff, these are interesting times.

For the first time in the United States, researchers have undertaken an extensive study of a 15th-century Spanish cathedral altarpiece, and in the process, have unlocked 500 years of secrets involving art, literature, history and religion.

Dallas, Texas – Centuries become months as “Five Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics” flies through the Dallas Arts District. On display from the Robin and R. Randolph Richmond, Jr. Collection will be more than 100 ancient works.

The Field Museum’s newest exhibition, The Aztec World, gives visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the otherworldly grandeur and sophistication of one of history’s great civilizations.

 “The gloss, splendor, and sheen of this feather cloth is of such exceptional beauty that it must be seen to be appreciated,” wrote Europeans who arrived in Peru in the early 16th century.

The Meadows Museum presents From Manet to Miró: Modern Drawings from the Abelló Collection, an exhibit of works by 45 of the most important artists of the past two centuries through Dec. 2, 2008.

A major art collection is on display for the first time since it was looted by the Nazis. The exhibition tells the tragic story of a pre-eminent art dealer who died fleeing the Nazis and the successful fight by his heirs to win back the paintings.