National Museum of Natural History

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For the museum in Manhattan, see American Museum of Natural History.

This article is about the museum in Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see National Museum of Natural History (disambiguation).

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The museum as seen from the National Mall, the Old Post Office Building visible in the distance

National Mall museum entrance

The National Museum of Natural History is a museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

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.

The museum was established in 1910, with its building designed by Hornblower & Marshall. The building, designed in the neoclassical architectural style, was the first constructed on the north side of the National Mall, along Constitution Avenue, as part of the 1901 McMillan Commission plan.

1 The Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals
2 Gallery
3 References
4 External links

[edit] The Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

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 including the famous Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire. There are currently over 15,000 individual gems in the collection, as well as 350,000 minerals and 300,000 samples of rock and ore specimens.^[1] Additionally, the Smithsonian's National Gem and Mineral Collection houses approximately 35,000 meteorites, which is considered to be one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in the world. ^[1]

The Hope Diamond is one of the most popular attractions in the exhibit. It weighs 45.52 carats (9.104 g),^[1] 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, however it is one of the largest sapphires in the world, weighing in at an astonishing 330 carats (66 g), it was mined in Sri Lanka.

Part of the collection is displayed in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals, one of the many galleries in the Museum of Natural History. Some of the most important donors are Washington A. Roebling, the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge, who gave 16,000 specimens to the collection, Frederick A. Canfield, who donated 9,000 specimens to the collection, and Dr. Isaac Lea, who donated the base of the museum’s collection of 1312 gems and minerals.

[edit] Gallery

Inside the National Museum of Natural History, underneath the rotunda.	Hall of Dinosaurs	Hall of Mammals	The skeleton of a prehistoric sea turtle
Hope Diamond	Mummified bull	Sabre-toothed cat	American mastodon
American angler goosefish	PHSCologram depicting a salt crystal	The largest flawless quartz sphere