The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute was founded in 1824 for the promotion of the mechanic arts and, in what is now Independence Hall, trained young engineers. In 1930, at the start of the Depression, The Franklin Institute and the Poor Richard Club sought funds for a new science museum and raised $5.1 million in just 12 days. The Franklin Institute Science Museum opened on this site on January 1, 1934, and as the "Wonderland of Science" became one of the first museums in the United States to offer a hands-on approach to science learning, with early exhibits explaining science and industry. It also opened one of the nation's first public observatories with a 10-inch telescope for sun watching and star gazing, as well as the Western Hemisphere's second planetarium. As science and technology changed, the museum updated its exhibits, replacing once cutting-edge displays such as the UNIVAC computer while keeping enduring favorites including the 350-ton Baldwin 60,000 locomotive, the Wright Brothers' 1911 Model B biplane, and the Giant Heart. In 1990, the museum added an IMAX® Theater, a theater for interactive live learning programs, and a large gallery for traveling exhibitions. Franklin Memorial Hall, opened in 1938 and dedicated by Congress in 1972, honors Benjamin Franklin, and its domed hall contains a 20-foot-high statue by James Earle Fraser that weighs 30 tons and stands on a 92-ton white marble base.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States