Discovering History's Weirdest Private Collection

I am very fortunate to know serial entrepreneur and inventor Jay Walker and to have spent time in his magnificent library of The History Of Human Imagination. As you will see in the video, this collection is extraordinarily broad and yet very precise–dinosaurs, space memorabilia, inventions, early Bibles, an original bill of rights. Jay’s library is located in his home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. It is an extraordinary collection of thousands of books and myriad artifacts reflecting the breadth and depth of human creativity and the progress of human knowledge over centuries. The design of the library itself is also unique and dramatic. It is a multi-level facility that combines architectural features such as floating platforms, a glass-paneled staircase, and a glass bridge. The ceiling is a binary code representing ones and zeros from the genetic code. The library's collection is incredibly diverse, containing everything from rare books and manuscripts to spacecraft models and a wide array of scientific and technological artifacts. Some of the notable items include an original 1957 Russian Sputnik, a napkin from 1943 with Einstein's handwritten notes, an Atlas Shrugged manuscript page with Ayn Rand's edits, and a complete set of the Enigma Machines used by the Nazis during WWII. Jay uses his library as a sort of intellectual salon inviting scientists, researchers, and other thought leaders(and my children) to discuss ideas and explore the artifacts. Jay describes human imagination as a uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not and thereby make it so. He views imagination as an important catalyst for innovation and progress leading to the creation of new ideas, technologies and solutions to problems. In interviews and presentations Jay emphasizes the idea that the human mind's ability to imagine and create is what sets us apart from other species and has enabled our rapid development and domination of the planet. As you can see in my video the room is unique. It features multilevel tiers, “floating” platforms, connecting stairways, glass-paneled bridges, dynamic lighting and music, and specially commissioned artworks that celebrate major achievements in the history of human invention. The library includes an original 1957 Russian Sputnik, one of two known Anastatic Facsimiles of the original 1776 Declaration of Independence, a 1699 atlas containing the first maps to show the sun, not the earth, as the center of the known universe. ("This map, by far the most important map in history, divides the Age of Faith from the Age of Reason,” says Jay.) Jay is best known as one of the creators of Priceline.com. He also founded TEDMED, a health and medicine edition of the famous TED conference. Jay is also an inventor with more than 800 patents to his name. As I say at the end of my video, there are 2 kinds of people in the world. Collectors, and those who think collectors are insane. I am a collector. I hope that many viewers of this video also collectors and enjoy seeing what Jay Walker has collected. Experts have called Jay’s Library one of the greatest & most unique private libraries in the world.