National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum run by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., United States. It opened in 1910 and is one of the first buildings built just for holding important collections and doing research. The museum is free to visit and is open almost every day of the year.

In 2024, the museum welcomed 3.3 million visitors. The main building covers a huge area of 1.5 million square feet, with special spaces for displays and over 1,000 people working there.

The museum holds an amazing collection of more than 146 million items, including plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and important cultural artifacts. It also has a large team of about 185 scientists who study natural and cultural history, making it the biggest group of such scientists in the world.

History

The United States National Museum was founded in 1846 as part of the Smithsonian Institution. It was first located in the Smithsonian Institution Building, also called the Smithsonian Castle. In 1858, a formal exhibit hall opened. As the collection grew, a new building called the National Museum Building (now the Arts and Industries Building) was built. It opened in 1881 and covered a large area of 2.25 acres.

Construction began on a new building in 1902. The Natural History Building, originally the name of the National Museum of Natural History, opened in 1910. It was finished in 1911 and cost $3.5 million. This building was the first on the north side of the National Mall, following the 1901 McMillan Commission plan. It held the Smithsonian's natural history collections, along with American history, art, and cultural items.

The museum had many directors between 1981 and 2003. In 2003, Cristián Samper became the permanent director. During his time, the museum opened new halls and received large donations, including $20 million from Kenneth E. Behring in 1997 to modernize the museum. In 2007, Samper became Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian, and Paul G. Risser became acting director of the museum.

In 2008, the Sant family donated $15 million for the new Ocean Hall. The museum celebrated the 50th anniversary of acquiring the Hope Diamond in 2009. In 2010, the museum opened a $21 million human evolution hall. In 2012, Samper left to become president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Kirk Johnson became the new director.

Research and collections

The National Museum of Natural History studies nature through seven departments: anthropology, botany, entomology, invertebrate zoology, mineral sciences, paleobiology, and vertebrate zoology.

The museum holds a huge collection of natural items, making up about 90% of all items in the Smithsonian Institution. There are around 146 million objects and specimens, including 30 million insects, 4.5 million preserved plants, and 7 million fish in liquid. The museum also has many cultural items, such as photographs. Many of these items are borrowed each year for other places to see. The rest are kept in special storage areas.

Exhibitions

Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the most important in the world. It includes over 15,000 gems, 350,000 minerals, and 300,000 rock and ore samples. There are also about 45,000 meteorite specimens on display. Famous pieces include the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia sapphire.

The collection is shown in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals. Important donors to the collection include Washington Roebling, who built the Brooklyn Bridge, and Frederick A. Canfield.

Hall of Human Origins

The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins opened in 2010. It is named for David H. Koch, who helped pay for it. The hall is dedicated to learning about where humans come from. It covers 15,000 square feet and includes many skulls from different human species that lived long ago. Visitors can see models of early humans and learn about important steps in human evolution, like walking upright and developing bigger brains.

Deep Time Exhibit/Fossil Hall

The Hall of Dinosaurs shows fossil skeletons and models of dinosaurs, including a cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex facing a Triceratops. In 2019, the hall reopened after an upgrade, featuring a real Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton called "Nation's T. rex." This fossil was found in Montana and is now a key part of the exhibit.

Hall of Mammals

The Behring Hall of Mammals shows mammal specimens presented like modern art. The museum has the largest collection of mammal specimens in the world, started by C. Hart Merriam and expanded in the early 1900s.

Insect Zoo

The O. Orkin Insect Zoo has live insects and exhibits about different kinds of insects. Visitors can see insects from habitats like ponds, houses, mangrove swamps, deserts, and rain forests. The zoo is sponsored by Orkin, a pest control company.

Ocean Hall

The Sant Ocean Hall opened in 2008 and is the largest museum renovation since 1910. It includes over 674 marine specimens and models, such as a North Atlantic right whale and a giant Lion's mane jellyfish. There is also a large aquarium with live marine fish and corals.

African Voices

This exhibit looks at the diversity and global influence of African peoples and cultures over time, focusing on family, work, community, and the natural environment.

Butterflies + Plants: Partners In Evolution

The Butterflies + Plants exhibit is a live butterfly pavilion where visitors can see how butterflies and plants have evolved together over millions of years. The exhibit was designed by Reich + Petch.

Bone Hall

This exhibit shows a variety of vertebrate skeletons grouped by their evolutionary relationships.

Q?rius

Opened in 2013, Q?rius is an interactive and educational area. Visitors can use microscopes and touch screens to explore specimens and artifacts. The area also hosts events with Smithsonian scientists and school groups.

Former exhibits

Western Cultures Hall

This hall showed examples from cultures in the western world, including northern Iraq, ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It also featured the Iceman, a Copper Age mummy found in an Italian glacier. This exhibit closed in 2010.

Korea Gallery

The Korea Gallery celebrated Korean traditions and culture. It highlighted Korean ceramics, photographs, ritual objects, and traditional carpentry. The exhibit also shared stories of modern Koreans and traced the country's transformation into a world power. This exhibit closed in 2017.

Reptiles

This exhibit featured reptiles such as a preserved King cobra, Reticulated python, boa constrictors, sea turtles, crocodiles, and lizards. It closed in 2011.

Facility

The lower level of the museum has an exhibit called the Urban Bird Habitat Garden, showing birds that migrate to and live near Washington, D.C.

The museum offers special sleepovers for kids ages 8 to 12 through the Smithsonian Associates.

Baird Auditorium

Under the museum’s big round room is the Baird Auditorium. It was finished in 1909 and has a special tile ceiling made by the R. Guastavino Company. Many important events have happened here, like a big discussion about space in 1920 and music concerts.