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Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago, Illinois and surrounding
Archeology, Civilization history,  Museums, Galleries, Exhibitions
Archeology, Civilization history, 
Museums, Galleries, Exhibitions

In 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World was held in Chicago. This six-month event attracted 27 million people to the city. It presented the major achievements in art, architecture, technology, and world culture, as well as many unique exhibits that later became part of the collection of the Historical Museum in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune had published a proposal to create a museum three years earlier. However, the funds to open it were found only during the Exposition. This institution was opened on June 2, 1894, at the Palace of Fine Arts Building in Jackson Park. Currently, the Museum of Science and Industry is located there.

At the very beginning, the collection included items exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition: numerous exhibits from anthropological artifacts and geological specimens to an extensive botanical collection. The earliest acquisitions of the museum included a collection of natural history, an entire collection of Tiffany & Co gems and pre-Columbian gold jewelry, musical instruments from Samoa and Java, and many artifacts from Native American property.

The museum's extensive collection continued to grow. So the Palace of Fine Arts Building could no longer serve the growing needs of the institution. Consequently, the search for a new residence began. After much thought about the location and style of the building, the construction of a new building began in 1915 on a site next to Grant Park. The building cost $ 7 million. In March 1920, the crews began the difficult task of moving the museum's collection to a new location. Samples were loaded into boxes and transported by rail or horse-drawn carriage. The exhibition opened on May 2, 1921. Crowds of people lined up for miles to visit the Columbia Field Museum, as it was then called.

Scientific research has been conducted since the opening of the institute. They are based on four main areas: anthropology, botany, geology, and zoology. Today, the collection contains about 40 million items. Only a small part of which is on public display. The exhibition features world-famous exhibits, including Egyptian mummies, Tsavo cannibal lions, and SUE, the largest and best-preserved tyrannosaurus ever discovered.

Address: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr

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