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Top 10 Amazing Facts about the Field Museum of Natural History

Also known as the Field Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum. A natural history museum is a scientific establishment that keeps natural history collection. The historical records found in such establishments include those of plants, animals, climatology, paleontology, geology, and ecosystems.

Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. The museum was established on 2^nd June 1894. It has exhibitions of specimens and artifact collections.

The World’s Columbia Exposition led to the establishment of the Museum and the collection found inside it. The permanent exhibitions that are hosted in the museum attract two million visitors annually. Let us look at the top 10 Amazing Facts about the Field Museum of Natural History.

1. It originated from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition

World’s Columbian Exposition 1893. Photo by Axel Westerlind. Wikimedia Commons.

The World’s Columbian Exposition was a world’s fair that was held in Chicago in 1893. It was held in Jackson Park. The purpose of the fair was to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World.

The Exposition highly influenced the architecture and art of America. The artifacts displayed at the fair became part of the Filed Museum of Natural History collection. The Field Museum first opened in 1894.

2. The museum was originally called the Columbian Museum of Chicago

Marshall Field made a donation of 1,000,00 dollars which realized the Chicagoan dream of the museum. Marshall Filed was one of the wealthiest citizens of Chicago. He was initially not receptive to the museum idea.

However, he was eventually convinced to invest by Edward E. Ayer. He later on donated a further 8,000,000 dollars to begin the construction of the current museum. The museum is named in his honor.

3. The museum was defrauded of 900,000 dollars before

In December 2015, the museum officials revealed that $900,000 had been stolen from the institute over a period of 7 years. Internal tax documents were publicized as evidence. A non-management employee pocketed money every time a visitor paid for an annual membership.

She created a temporary ID card and entered the membership on the books without entering payments in the book. Later on, the museum recovered the money. The insurance paid off the investigation and the loss. It was less by only 10,000 dollars.

4. The Field Museum has a huge collection of dinosaur skeletons

Skeletal cast of Tyrannosaurus Rex holotype at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh. Photo by ScottRobertAnselmo. .

The largest Tyrannosaurus rex specimen, Sue was unveiled in the museum on May 17^th 2,000. Sue has a length of 12.3 m, stands at 4m tall, and has between 8.4-14 metric tons.

The specimen is estimated to be 67 million years old. It was named after Sue Hendrickson, the person who discovered it. Although it is assumed to be a female, the actual sex of the dinosaur is unknown. An analysis of the specimen’s bones examination revealed that Sue died at age 28.

5. It has traveling exhibitions

A traveling exhibition can be presented at more than one venue. The Field Museum combines the research and expertise of world-renowned scientists to create high-quality traveling exhibitions.

Traveling museums can be hosted by science centers, art museums, and children’s museums. The available traveling exhibitions include the Apsaalooke Women and Warriors, Antarctic dinosaurs, the machine inside: biomechanics, Sue: The T. rex experience, and the First Kings of Europe.

6. It was founded by Professor Frederick Ward Putnam

Professor Frederick Ward Putnam was then a curator at Peabody Museum in Harvard. From start to finish, he was involved in the World’s Columbian Exposition. He called for the museum to be created from the collections at the exposition.

He devised a plan for an exhibition called ‘A Panorama of History of the Human Race in the New World’. This plan contained ideas of a permanent museum and the details of its functioning. He presented the idea to the Committee on Permanent Organization in 1890, which was enthusiastic but short of funds.

He took the plan to Chicago businessmen at the Commercial Club of Chicago where Edward E. Ayer became interested. Ayer donated money, a collection of Native American Artifacts, and became the museum’s first director.

7. Some artifacts are not displayed in the museum

Much of the museum’s collection, over 30 million objects, are not on display in the museum. One of them is the Hero Shrew. This is a spine that was first discovered in Uganda in 1910 and in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1915.

Natives believed that the Hero Shrew was taken from an animal that was capable of protecting one from danger. This was possible just by being in possession of a part of that animal.

8. It was part of Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago

The museum’s collection was previously in the Palace of Fine Arts building.  As the building deteriorated, a search began for a site to rebuild the museum.

The construction of the new building begun in 1915 at a place near Grant Park. This was after deliberations on the best possible site and style of the new building. Architects Peirce Anderson of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White designed the building. It cost 7 million dollars and was part of Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago.

9. The museum offers an informal and structured learning

Informal education in the museum is done through exhibitions. However, more innovative educational programs have been put in place. The Harris Loan Program began in 1912, reaches out to children in Chicago area schools.

The program offers artifacts, specimens, audiovisual material, and activity kits to the kids. The education department has classes, lectures, field trips, a museum overnight, and special events for families, adults, and children. A YouTube channel dedicated to learning has also been created, it is called The Brain Scoop.

10. The museum has a library

Catalogue of bronzes, etc., in Field Museum of Natural History: reproduced from originals in the National Museum of Naples. Photo by Dorsey, George Amos.

The Filed Museum Library has over 275,000 books, journals, and photo archives. These materials focus on biological systematics, evolutionary biology, geology, archeology, ethnology, and materials on culture. It supports the Filed Museum’s academic research facility and exhibit development.