Why the Dark Ages weren't really dark.

• Position: Inventions

After blockbuster runs in London and Istanbul, "1001 Inventions: Discover the Golden Age of Muslim Civilization" has come to America's shores, revealing the forgotten history of men and women from a variety of faiths and backgrounds whose contributions to the advancement of scholarship and technology during the Middle Ages helped pave the way for the European Renaissance. This period of history, from the seventh through 17th centuries, is commonly--though often erroneously--referred to as the Dark Ages.

The exhibition is introduced by a short film, "The Library of Secrets," starring Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley as the Turkish engineer, Al-Jazari. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 20-foot replica of Al-Jazari's "elephant clock," which dates to the 13th century. Other signature elements include a model of a ninth-century flying machine and a scale model of a Chinese junk ship built in the 15th century. Divided into seven zones, "1001 Inventions" includes mere than 60 interactive exhibits that delve into discoveries that shaped the home, school, market, hospital, town, world, and universe.

"Science is a universal language that has a unique power to pull people together," says Margaret Honey, president and CEO of the New York Hall of Science, where the exhibit was on display earlier this spring. "This exhibition reveals fascinating bits of history and a shared scientific inheritance. '1001 Inventions' is about scholarship, inspiration, and discovery among men and women from many cultures."

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During the Middle Ages, Muslim civilization stretched from southern Spain, across the Middle East as far as China; "1001 Inventions" introduces European, African, Jewish, Arab, Persian, Indian, Chinese, and Turkish pioneers who furthered scientific and technological understanding of our world during this 1,000-year time frame. Among them are:

* Alhazen (Ibn Al-Haytham), the Arab polymath who invented the camera obscura during the 10th...