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Fried Marbles

What You Need

Bag of transparent marbles
Frying pan
Oven mitt
Wooden spoon
Large pot
Cold water
Ice

What to Do
With adult supervision, place the marbles in the frying pan, and, wearing the oven mitt, heat them over a high heat, stirring with the wooden spoon.
Fill the large pot with cold water, add the ice, and let cool.
When the marbles are piping hot, pour them into the ice water. Let them cool off, then dry.

What Happens
The glass inside the marbles shatters into shards and looks like shimmering crystal.

Why It Works
When glass goes from extreme heat to extreme cold, it cracks from the inside out.

Bizarre Facts

Although marbles have been made from clay, stone, wood, glass, and steel, most marbles today are made from glass.
Marbles found in ancient Egypt and Rome can be seen in the British Museum.
When a German glassblower invented a tool called the marble scissors in 1846, the manufacture of glass marbles became economically feasible.
World War I cut off the supply of marbles to North America.
Most glass marbles in the United States are made at a plant in Clarksburg, West Virginia, which makes millions every year.
A variety of colors and intricate patterns create a wide range of glass marbles, including the Immy, Moonstone, Rainbow, Marine, Cat's Eye, Genuine Carnelian, First American, Japanese Cat's Eye, Scrap Glass, and Peppermint Stripe.
Marble games include Archboard, Bounce About, Bounce Eye, Conqueror, Die Shot, Dobblers, Eggs in the Bush, Handers, Hundreds, Increase Pound, Lag Out, Long Taw, Odds or Even, One Step, Picking Plums, Pyramid, Ring Taw, Spanners, and Three Holes.
Marbles are often used at the bottom of clear glass vases to support flowers or at the bottom of fish tanks.

Losing Your Marbles?
The most common method of shooting a marble is known as fulking.

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