National Museum of Natural History Unearthed

Museum Madness 2012 @NMNH - Results of Battle of the Champions and the Championship!

After letting our competitors rest (even collections need a little break!), the time has finally arrived for the Museum Madness 2012 Championship!

 

Who are the contenders and how did they make it to the Championship?

 

 

Round 1: vs. Tarantula

Round 2: vs. Giant Squid

Round 3: vs. Bull Mummy

Round 4: vs. Deep-Sea Vent Worms

 

 

 

 

 

Round 1: vs. Turtle Skeleton

Round 2: vs. Neanderthal from Shanidar

Round 3: vs. Basilosaurus

Round 4: vs. Coelacanth

 

 

 

 

 

Who will be victorious? It's up to you!

Sarah Banks, Audience Engagement Specialist, Office of Education and Outreach

Museum Madness 2012 @NMNH - Round 2 Results and Division Finals Coming Up!

After a fast and furious Museum Madness: Round 2, the results are here! Did your favorites make it to Round 3? Were you surprised by any of the new information you learned?

Highlights:

The Giant Squid and the Fenykovi Elephant exited the tournament in Round 2 with losses to Titanoboa and Phoenix. It was neck and neck with the Handaxe Made by Early Humans and the Wood Collection, until the Wood Collection pulled ahead by a single vote!

So who's still in the running after Round 2?

In the Backbones Division we have ...

1. Phoenix, the North Atlantic Right Whale
2. Coelacanth

In the Classics Division we have ...

1. Basilosaurus
2. Tasmanian Tiger

In the Exhibit All-Stars Division we have ...

1. Bull Mummy
2. Titanoboa

In the Wild Cards Division we have ...

1. Deep-Sea Vent Worms
2. Wood Collection

Who are you pulling for in Round 3? Voting will open soon, and we'll need your help to narrow the field from 8 to 4!

Sarah Banks, Audience Engagement Specialist, Office of Education and Outreach

Museum Madness 2012 @NMNH - Round 1 Results!

You, the fans of NMNH, have spoken and the results of Museum Madness: Round 1 are in! Read on for highlights and find out if your favorites made it to Round 2.

Highlights:

Round 1 got off to a great start with a landslide win by the Megalodon Jaws over the T-Rex. The perennial favorite Fenykovi Elephant then triumphed over the Roosevelt Rhinos, and Martha the Passenger Pigeon handily beat Snarge. The surprise of this round came at the end when the Hope Diamond suffered a narrow loss to the Bull Mummy.

So who's left standing after Round 1?

In the Backbones Division we have ...

1. Fenykovi Elephant
2. Martha the Passenger Pigeon
3. Phoenix, the North Atlantic Right Whale
4. Coelacanth

In the Classics Division we have ...

1. Basilosaurus
2. Tasmanian Tiger
3. Megalodon Jaws
4. Neanderthal from Shanidar

In the Exhibit All-Stars Division we have ...

1. Monarch Butterfly
2. Bull Mummy
3. Titanoboa
4. Giant Squid

In the Wild Cards Division we have ...

1. Allende Meteorite
2. Deep-Sea Vent Worms
3. Handaxe Made by Early Humans
4. Wood Collection

Did your favorites make it through? If not, who will you root for in Round 2? Let us know and get ready for more voting tomorrow, March 28th!

Sarah Banks, Audience Engagement Specialist, Office of Education and Outreach

 

Museum Madness 2012 @NMNH

Not a basketball fan? Feeling left out of the March Madness fun? Wishing there was a bracket that incorporated your interests in birds, mammals, insects, fishes, and more?

We have the solution for you! It’s called ...

Museum Madness is our version of the basketball tournament - with a twist. Instead of teams competing, we have objects vying for your interest. Would you like to learn more about our iconic elephant or a species of fish thought to have died out with the dinosaurs? Over the next two weeks, you decide what will advance through the rounds and reign victorious.

So who are the contenders?

In the Backbones Division we have ...

1. Fenykovi Elephant
2. Martha the Passenger Pigeon
3. Snarge
4. Roosevelt Rhinos
5. Phoenix, the North Atlantic Right Whale
6. X-ray of a Seahorse
7. Coelacanth
8. Great White Shark

In the Classics Division we have ...

1. Basilosaurus
2. Burgess Shale Fossils
3. Tasmanian Tiger
4. T-Rex
5. Megalodon Jaws
6. Neanderthal from Shanidar
7. Lucy, Our Early Human Ancestor (reconstruction)
8. Turtle Skeleton

In the Exhibit All-Stars Division we have ...

1. Hope Diamond
2. Easter Island Stone Figure
3. Monarch Butterfly
4. Bull Mummy
5. Tarantula
6. Titanoboa
7. Korean Bridal Gown
8. Giant Squid

In the Wild Cards Division we have ...

1. Allende Meteorite
2. Smithsonite
3. Deep-Sea Vent Worms
4. Handaxe Made by Early Humans
5. Wood Collection
6. Scarab Beetle
7. Invertebrates from the Gulf of Mexico
8. Modern Human Art and Music

How do you vote and follow the action?

Starting Tuesday, March 20th, keep an eye open where you follow us - Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest - for links to the voting pages.

Sarah Banks, Audience Engagement Specialist, Office of Education and Outreach

 

Behind the Scenes: Mystery of the Hope Diamond

It’s a story that spans four countries, over a billion years of geologic time and 350 years of human history. Fascinating science. A legendary curse. But probably the most memorable moment in the making of Smithsonian Channel’s “Mystery of the Hope Diamond” was the Great Dane.

In real life his name was Mike, and he belonged to the dazzling Washington socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. In the Roaring Twenties, Evalyn was renowned for staging elaborate parties in her mansion, and occasionally even President Warren G. Harding would attend. For kicks – and no doubt to make an impression -- she had a special collar designed for Mike so he could wear the Hope Diamond. Escorting Evalyn with imperial grace, he’d strut through the crowd wearing the world’s most famous gemstone as if it were a mere dogtag.

To recreate the scene, our production team took over a mansion in the business district of London. After scouring through dozens of head shots and enduring a few eventful screen tests (“Action!” is not a command most dogs understand, and explaining their motivation proved a challenge), we finally settled on a handsome brute named Travis. He had already appeared in several commercials and television shows in the United Kingdom, so he knew the drill. He showed no interest at all in gobbling up our Hope Diamond replica, and once the cameras were rolling he hit his marks like a pro. We never told him about the mythic curse (didn’t want to make him nervous), but by all accounts he remains a very happy and healthy canine thespian. You can watch his performance in the full program at www.smithsonianchannel.com/hope or in this behind-the-scenes clip.

 

Charles Poe, Vice President Production, Smithsonian Channel