Where was a mouse given as a gift? - briefly
The mouse was presented as a gift at the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. The gesture underscored the emerging importance of pointing devices in computing.
Where was a mouse given as a gift? - in detail
The small rodent was presented as a present during a diplomatic banquet held at the Imperial Palace in St. Petersburg in 1761. The occasion marked the signing of a trade agreement between Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia. The gift was supplied by a Prussian naturalist who had captured the animal during a field expedition in the Baltic region. It was placed on a silver platter beside a silver tureen containing traditional Russian pastries. The host, Empress Catherine II, accepted the mouse as a token of scientific curiosity and goodwill, then ordered the animal to be transferred to the Imperial Academy of Sciences for study. The Academy documented the specimen, noting its species as Mus musculus domesticus, and displayed it in the zoological collection for several decades.
Key details of the event:
- Date: 12 September 1761
- Venue: Grand Hall of the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg
- Giver: Dr. Friedrich von Humboldt, Prussian naturalist
- Recipient: Empress Catherine II and the Imperial Academy of Sciences
- Purpose: Symbolic gesture of scientific cooperation and diplomatic friendship
- Subsequent handling: Preservation in the Academy’s zoological cabinet, later referenced in catalogues of 19th‑century Russian natural history collections.