Museum of Science (Boston)
The Museum of Science is a Boston landmark, located in Science Park, a plot of land spanning the Charles River. Along with over 500 interactive exhibits, the Museum features a number of live presentations throughout the building every day, along with shows at the Charles Hayden Planetarium, and the Mugar Omni IMAX theater, the only domed IMAX screen in New England. The Museum is also an accredited member of the American Zoological Association, and is home to over 100 animals, many of which have been rescued and rehabilitated from various dangerous situations.
History
The Museum began as the Boston Society of Natural History in 1830, founded by a collection of men who wished to share scientific interests. In essence, the museum began as a place where these men could store and display skins and other trophies of their travels to Africa and Asia. Today, a number of taxidermed specimens remain on display, much as they do at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as well as many other museums, teaching children about the animals of New England, and of the world. In 1864, after the Society had gone through several temporary facilities, a building was purchased in the Back Bay area of the city, and dubbed the New England Museum of Natural History. There it remained through World War II, presumably growing and changing over the decades into more of a science museum and less of a gentleman's club for safari trophies.
After the war, this building was sold, and the museum was reestablished under the name "Boston Museum of Science." Under the leadership of a man by the name of Bradford Washburn, the Society negotiated with the Boston local government for a 99-year lease of the land now known as Science Park. The Museum pays $1 a year to the city for use of the land. Construction and development began in 1948, and the Museum opened in 1951, arguably the first all-encompassing science museum in the country. In these first few years, the Museum developed a traveling planetarium, a version of which is still brought to many elementary schools in the greater Boston area every year. They also obtained during these early years "Spooky," a great horned owl who became a symbol or mascot of the Museum; he lived to age 38, the longest any great horned owl is known to have lived. The Science Park MBTA station was opened in 1956, and the Charles Hayden Planetarium in 1958.
Many more expansions continued into the 1970s and 1980s, and another major renovation and expansion is planned for 2005-6.
Other Attractions
The Museum's Theater of Electricity contains the world's largest Van der Graaf generator, designed by Volkert Van der Graaf himself and donated by MIT in 1956. The Current Science & Technology Center's live presentations are in a constant state of development, keeping up with the cutting edge of science & technology news, and offering several very informative and interesting "Updates in Science & Technology" presentations every day. CS&T presentations are also often aired on the New England Cable Network (NECN). The Museum was recently host to the US premeire of Lord of the Rings the Motion Picture Trilogy the Exhibition, developed by the Ta Papa Tongarewa museum in New Zealand, and containing many of the costumes and props from the films. The Museum of Science is currently developing their own film-based exhibit, entitled Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. It is scheduled to open October 27, 2005.