Select three details that best support the main idea of the text. A.
Erwin Perzy's first invention failed.

B.
Erwin Perzy III now runs the snow globe company.

C.
Erwin Perzy used semolina in his first snow globe.

D.
Erwin Perzy originally made tools used for surgery.

E.
Erwin Perzey's company makes its snow globes by hand.

F.
Erwin Perzy thought the falling white powder looked like fresh snow.

Tiny Wintry World

Hold the glass globe in your hands and turn it over gently. Then flip it back and watch as snow falls slowly over a tiny village. For kids and grownups everywhere, snow globes hold a special delight. Yet these fun keepsakes actually came to be because of an experiment that did not work.

In 1900, a man named Erwin Perzy was trying to figure out a way to create more light. Perzy lived in Vienna, Austria, and he made tools to be used for surgery. At that time, the electric light bulb had just been invented, but it created inadequate light. A surgeon asked Perzy to come up with a way to make the light brighter for his operating room.

Perzy contemplated the problem carefully. He remembered how shoemakers would use a special trick to get more light from candles. They would place a glass globe full of water in front of the flame. The light would shine through the globe and cast a golden glow about the size of a hand.

With this in mind, Perzy filled a glass globe with water and placed it in front of his electric light. He was not satisfied with how bright it was, so he decided to add to the idea. First, he tried adding glitter to the water. When it first dropped into the water, the glitter reflected the light and added brightness to the room. However, it sank to the bottom, and the shining effect was gone.

Although his first idea had failed, Perzy felt he was onto something. He tried to find a material that weighed even less than the glitter. After searching, he came upon a fine white powder called semolina. It was usually used to make baby food. Perzy thought the powder would be perfect for his light globe, so he dropped it in. Once again, the powder made the light brighter, but it also soon came to rest on the bottom of the globe. Perzy’s experiment failed again. However, it sparked a new idea. For to Perzy, the sinking white powder looked just like fresh falling snow.

Fascinated by his new discovery, Perzy decided the snow should fall onto something. He took a soft, silvery metal called pewter, which he had in his workshop, and made a tiny model of a famous building in Austria. Perzy placed the little structure into the globe and watched the “snow” fall on it. He became even more excited—surely other people would enjoy his globes as much as he did! Quickly, Perzy got a patent for his “glass globe with snow effect.” The patent would prove that he invented it.

Over the next few years, Perzy experimented with different materials to find the right one for his snow. He also tried different miniature buildings. In 1905, Perzy opened a small factory to make the snow globes and they quickly became popular. The Austrian emperor, Franz Josef I, even gave Perzy a special award for his new toy. Soon, snow globes could be found in homes all around the world, from cottages to the White House.

Today, Perzy’s company, Original Vienna Snow Globes, still produces hundreds of thousands of snow globes each year. Each one is handmade. There are more than 2,000 scenes to choose from, including buildings, animals, nature scenes, and characters. Perzy’s family has continued his work, and Erwin Perzy III now runs the company.

Erwin Perzy III really enjoys seeing children visit the company and its museum. Even though snow globes do not have batteries, bright lights, or fun noises, kids are fascinated with them. “. . . When the kids come here,” he says, “their eyes are wide open, they are enchanted, and everyone has one or two snow globes in their hands, and they are shaking them. That is a very nice moment for me.” While his grandfather’s experiment long ago did not work, it actually led to something even more wonderful.

WILL MARK BRAINLIES PL due in 5 mins