The American Museum of Natural History is celebrating turning the big 1-5-0 (yes, 150 years old) in style. Rather than just a birthday cake, the museum has decided to celebrate for a month, with a lineup of events throughout March and April, all meant to commemorate its beginnings in April of 1869.
The special events will include new exhibits, a new space show in the planetarium, and a featured anniversary website.
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The celebration will also include an exhibition on the famous statue of Theodore Roosevelt that stands at the front of the museum. This will incorporate discussions on statues in public spaces, and how they relate to cultural representation and race.
A festival held called Identification Day will exhibit rare specimens (including bugs, plants, etc.) from the museum’s collection, and children can speak with scientists in the realms of anthropology, earth and planetary sciences and entomology.
You can take a look at the full calendar of anniversary events here.
The museum is asking for past visitors to share their AMNH stories. If you share your favorite memories of the museum, it may be featured throughout the anniversary! Those with special memories are encouraged to share photos, drawings or voice recordings via the submission form on the museum’s site.
The world famous museum draws visitors from across the globe, and is especially popular on the weekends. New Yorkers often see long lines of people waiting along Central Park West to enter the museum. It’s still that popular after 150 years, so here’s to 150 more!
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