Field Museum

Field Museum is a natural history museum located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is one of the largest such museums in the world and houses extensive scientific specimen and artifact collections. The museum's high-quality educational and scientific programs, as well as its comprehensive collections, have made it a popular destination for both tourists and locals.

History

The Field Museum was established in 1893 as the Columbian Museum of Chicago with its founding purpose being the "accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of artifacts illustrating art, archaeology, science and history." In 1905, the museum's name was changed to Field Museum of Natural History to honor the museum's first major benefactor, Marshall Field, and to better reflect its focus on the natural sciences.

Collections

The Field Museum houses a wide range of collections that span multiple disciplines including anthropology, botany, geology, paleontology, and zoology. The museum's collections contain over 24 million specimens and objects, some of which are over thousands of years old. These collections are used for research, exhibitions, and educational programs.

Exhibitions

The Field Museum offers a variety of permanent and temporary exhibitions. Some of the most notable permanent exhibitions include SUE the T. rex, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered, and Inside Ancient Egypt, an exhibition that allows visitors to walk through a 5,000-year-old Egyptian tomb.

Research and Education

The Field Museum is not only a museum but also a research institution. It has a staff of over 150 scientists who conduct research around the world. Their research contributes to the museum's educational programs, which aim to inspire a curiosity about life on earth.

See Also

• List of natural history museums
• Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)
• Art Institute of Chicago
• Shedd Aquarium