The Exploratorium turns 40!40 years ago, a San Francisco icon was born, the Exploratorium. The museum was founded by Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, a famous physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project. After a short career as a physics professor (he was branded a communist during McCarthyism), Oppenheimer was inspired to supplement and improve science education. After spending time touring European museums in the early 60s, he devoted the next few years to develop an interactive museum in the U.S. In 1969, Dr. Frank Oppenheimer received a $50,000 grant from the San Francisco Foundation to start a new kind of museum at the Palace of Fine Arts.
The Exploratorium opened quietly that fall, slowly changing the way science museums are organized and oriented to their audiences. It combined a living laboratory, art, and interaction under one roof; the result is a place where science is accessible and owned by all.
In celebration of this anniversary, the Exploratorium is hosting a number of events at the museum over this weekend. Plus they are throwing in quite a treat…admission is free all weekend (November 7-8). For a full list of activities and an exceptional history of the museum, check out the Exploratorium’s 40th anniversary website.
Exploratorium After Dark: Electrifying Science with Dr. MegaVolt
When: Thursday 11/5, 6-10 PM
Cost: Free for members, $14 for non-members (Adults 21+ only)
Details: Blow your mind with the electrifying science of Tesla coils and Austin Richards, PhD—aka Dr. MegaVolt. This electrifying Exploratorium Science After Dark will feature Dr. MegaVolt jousting with 14-foot electrical arcs from his high voltage Tesla Coil.
Cutting Ice into One with a Motorcycle
When: Saturday 11/7
Cost: Free
Details: Imagine a big block of ice suspended from the ceiling of the Exploratorium. Now imagine a wire wrapped around the middle of that ice block from which is hung a motorcycle. Chill out with other skeptics and watch the motorcycle fall to the floor as the wire very slowly cuts through the ice, but bear witness—the ice block remains one whole piece!