Think you know the American Museum of Natural History?
Think again. This iconic New York landmark is home to a staggering 32 million specimens, but only 3% are ever on public display.
The rest? Tucked away in storage—like a 20-million-year-old butterfly in amber, a rare Tasmanian tiger, and a giant squid beak.
Famous public highlights include the first discovered Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, a 122-foot Titanosaur (so big its head pokes out of its exhibit room), and the beloved 94-foot blue whale model, which takes three days to clean by hand.
But here’s something even more futuristic: The museum was entrusted with The Times Capsule, commissioned by The New York Times Magazine .This five-foot stainless-steel vessel, to be opened in the year 3000, is packed with 20th and 21st-century artifacts. Among them: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, a Purple Heart from the Vietnam War, a cellphone, and more—each carefully packed into its crevices as a message to the future.
Other wild facts? The museum once housed live bats for scientific study. It stores the Willamette Meteorite, a 15.5-ton space rock so massive it had to be partially dismantled to fit through the doors.
Oh, and those Night at the Museum movies?Totally inspired by this place. You could even sleep among the exhibits during special overnight events.
What’s your favorite hidden gem at the Museum?
