Cleveland Museum of Natural History facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Established | 1920 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Wade Oval Drive Cleveland, Ohio 44106 USA |
| Visitors | 260,000 |
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is an exciting place to explore science and nature. It's located in University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio. The museum first opened its doors in 1920. Its main goals are to do important research, teach people about the natural world, and collect amazing specimens. These collections cover many areas, like anthropology (the study of humans), archaeology (the study of old cultures), astronomy (the study of space), and paleontology (the study of fossils).
A famous discovery linked to the museum is "Lucy." She is the ancient skeleton of an early human ancestor. Donald Johanson, a curator at the museum, discovered Lucy. The museum is currently undergoing a big renovation and expansion. It will make the museum even better for visitors!
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Past
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has a long and interesting history. Its roots go back to the 1830s. At that time, a small building called "the Ark" on Public Square in Cleveland held a collection of stuffed animals. This collection belonged to Leonard Case Sr.
From the Ark to a Mansion
The Ark was a popular spot for a group of 26 men. They called themselves "Arkites." These men loved to collect, study, and talk about their scientific findings. There were no museums in Cleveland back then.
Later, in 1876, the Ark's collection moved to Case Hall. The original building was torn down. The collection stayed at Case Hall until 1916. Then, the building became the Cleveland Public Library.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, as we know it today, was officially founded in 1920. It started in a small office. By the end of 1921, the museum moved to a large mansion on Euclid Avenue. This new location opened to the public on June 24, 1922.
Big Discoveries and Growth
The museum received a valuable collection of precious stones in 1926. This was from Jeptha Wade II. In 1930, the museum went on a bird-watching trip to Kenya. This helped them add many new birds to their collection.
In 1954, the museum's team found a Haplocanthosaurus dinosaur. This 70-foot-long plant-eating dinosaur is one of the most complete ever found! The museum also helped run the Cleveland Zoo for many years. It even helped create the Cleveland Aquarium.
A New Home and More Space
In 1958, the museum moved to its current home in University Circle. This new building had exhibits and educational programs. Soon after, more parts were added. These included an observatory for looking at stars, a planetarium for space shows, and the Kirtland Hall of Nature.
The Ralph Mueller Observatory opened in 1960. It has a special telescope built in 1899. This telescope was first used at Case Western Reserve University. The museum later acquired it.
In 1972, the museum got much bigger with an 85,000-square-foot addition. This added more galleries, an auditorium, a library, classrooms, and a paleontology lab. It made the museum a circular building with a courtyard in the middle.
The Discovery of Lucy
A very important discovery happened in 1973. Museum curator Donald Johanson was on an expedition in Ethiopia. He found "Lucy," a 3.2-million-year-old skeleton. Lucy is an Australopithecus afarensis, an early human ancestor. Her bones showed that she walked upright, just like modern humans. This was a huge find for understanding human evolution!
More space was added in 1989. This new wing included a large hall for traveling exhibits. It also provided more room for the museum's collections and offices.
Looking at the Stars
The Shafran Planetarium opened in 2002. Its unique design helps visitors find Polaris, the North Star, at night. The building's outer covering sparkles with tiny lights. These lights look like stars without causing light pollution.
The museum began a major renovation project in 2021. This "Centennial Transformation Project" will add new spaces and update exhibits. It's expected to be finished in 2024.
Amazing Collections to Explore
The museum's collections hold more than four million items! These include fossils, animal specimens, archaeological finds, and minerals. They cover many different scientific subjects.
Here are some of the cool things you can find in the collections:
- Fossils of ancient fish from the Cleveland Shale. These include skulls of the armored fish Dunkleosteus.
- A huge collection of over 3,100 human skeletons and 900 monkey and ape skeletons. This is called the Hamann-Todd Collection.
- The skeleton of "Happy," a Haplocanthosaurus dinosaur.
- A complete skeleton of Coelophysis bauri, a small dinosaur.
- The mounted remains of Balto, the famous sled dog.
- A large collection of minerals, including a real Moon rock! It also has the beautiful Jeptha Wade gem collection.
- Replica skeletons of a Triceratops and an adult Tyrannosaurus.
- Many mastodon and mammoth specimens.
- A cast and a lifelike model of "Lucy," the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton.
- A partial Allosaurus skeleton.
- A collection of 30,000 plant fossils.
- A Foucault pendulum that shows the Earth's rotation. A time capsule is buried underneath it, to be opened in 2046!
The museum's scientists have also made new discoveries. For example, a new horned dinosaur, Albertaceratops nesmoi, was named in 2007 by a former museum curator.
Hamann-Todd Collection
The Hamann-Todd Collection is a very large collection of skeletons. It has over 3,100 human skeletons and more than 900 primate skeletons. This collection started in 1893. It was first kept at Western Reserve University Medical School. Later, it was moved to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Carl August Hamann started the collection. T. Wingate Todd took over its management in 1912. Todd collected most of the human skeletons before he passed away in 1938.
Perkins Wildlife Center
The Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden is a special outdoor area. It opened in 2016. Here, you can see live animals and plants that are native to Ohio.
Art at the Museum
The museum also has some cool art pieces:
- Steggie is an 18-foot-long, 8-foot-tall Stegosaurus sculpture. It has greeted museum visitors since 1968. A new version, Steggie II, was made from the original mold. In 2016, it was repainted to look more scientifically accurate.
- Pachyderms are large reliefs by Victor Schreckengost. They show adult and baby mastodons and mammoths. These 32-ton artworks are on a wall outside the museum. They were originally made in 1955 for the elephant house at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
- Old Grizzly is a four-ton limestone bear sculpture. It was created by William McVey in 1934. This sculpture used to be near the bear enclosure when the Cleveland Zoo was in Wade Park. Now, it sits in the Perkins Wildlife Center.
