Meccano is a British brand of construction set created in 1901 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. The system consists of reusable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, and plastic parts that are connected using nuts and bolts. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices. In 1913, a very similar construction set was introduced in the United States under the brand name Erector. In 1990, Meccano bought the Erector brand and unified its presence on all continents. In 2013, the Meccano brand was acquired by the Canadian toy company Spin Master. Meccano maintained a manufacturing facility in Calais, France until 2023. In 1901 Frank Hornby, a clerk from Liverpool, England, invented and patented a new toy called “Mechanics Made Easy” that was based on the principles of mechanical engineering. It was a model construction kit consisting of perforated metal strips, plates and girders, with wheels, pulleys, gears, shaft collars and axles for mechanisms and motion, and nuts and bolts and set screws to connect the pieces. The perforations were at a standard 1⁄2 inch (12.7 mm) spacing, the axles were 8-gauge, and the nuts and bolts used 5⁄32 inch (4.0 mm) BSW threads. The only tools required to assemble models were a screwdriver and spanners (wrenches). It was more than just a toy: it was educational, teaching basic mechanical principles like levers and gearing. We celebrate this famous toy with a meccano plane …