PHILADELPHIA – The Academy of Natural Sciences, the nation’s oldest natural history museum, this week kicks off a 200-day countdown to a yearlong bicentennial celebration with a fascinating peek at its past and a look ahead to its third century.
The Academy of Natural Sciences, Photo by Will Klein
The yearlong celebration beginning March 21, 2012 will feature a major new exhibition, a national scientific symposium, special programs with noted speakers, public engagement activities, discounted museum admission days, and a new coffee-table book on the Academy’s history.
The countdown to the big day begins Saturday, Sept. 3, when the Academy posts the first of 200 fascinating short stories on its website at www.ansp.org/200. The stories—some well-known but most little-known—will reveal fascinating tidbits about the institution, its history, its key leaders and its enormous contributions to scientific knowledge. The stories will culminate the day before the 200th anniversary .
More information and ongoing updates will be available starting Sept. 3 at www.ansp.org/200.