Natural History Museum
The museum's collections total over 125 million specimens of plants,
animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts.
It is the second most popular of all of the Smithsonian museums and is also
home to about 185 professional natural history scientists the largest group
of scientists dedicated to the study of the natural and cultural history
in the world.
From the Prehistoric age of dinosaurs
to the creatures of the sea
to the land animals of today
you may even see one of your ancestors
The museum was established in 1910, with its building designed by Hornblower &
Marshall. The building, designed in the neoclassical architectural style.
The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the most significant collections
of its kind in the world. The collection includes some of the most famous pieces
of gems and minerals such as the famous Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire.
There are over 375,000 individual mineral samples, and a research collection
used by scientists around the world.
The Hope Diamond is one of the most popular attractions in the exhibit.
It weighs 45.52 carats, and is most well known for the supposed curse that
it puts on its owners. Almost all of the previous owners of the diamond have
been forced to sell it out of financial strife. The Star of Asia Sapphire
has no curse on it, and is one of the largest sapphires in the
world, weighing in at an astonishing 330 carats.
For more information, see link below
Museum Home Page
Wikipedia
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