Stray Shoelace Leads to Destruction of Antique Vases
Three Chinese vases survived through centuries, and a trip halfway around the world. The vases from around 1700 ended up in a museum in Cambridge, England. For the last 40 years, they sat in a window beside a staircase. And then a man tripped on his shoelace. He tumbled down the stairway. And while he wasn't hurt, a museum official says the vases are now in "very, very small pieces." The museum is determined to put them back together.
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JOHN YDSTIE, host:
Good morning, I'm John Ydstie. Three Chinese vases survived through centuries and a trip halfway around the world. The vases, from around 1700, ended up in a museum in Cambridge, England. For the last 40 years, they sat in a window beside a staircase. Then, a man tripped on his shoelace, tumbled down the stairway, and while he wasn't hurt, a museum official says, the vases are now in very, very small pieces. The museum is determined to put them back together. This is Morning Edition.
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