Login Blog
Menu

Eight Times Museums Saved the Day

Home / Blog / Eight Times Museums Saved the Day

Eight Times Museums Saved the Day


Eight Times Museums Saved the Day

Newsflash that’s not really a newsflash: Museums are amazing. And in some cases, museums can literally save the day, both for their patrons and even for total strangers. To illustrate this point, in a few moments we’ll look at eight times a museum was the exact hero we needed.

Full disclosure: the title of this post is a little clickbait-y. In the stories below, sometimes the phrase “saved the day” was meant literally, and sometimes it was more of a warm-and-fuzzy, restore-your-faith-in-humanity type save. Either way, museums are the best and we’re not sorry for taking all the necessary steps to highlight their awesomeness.

The reason for this post, of course, is Museum Advocacy Day. This effort is important for many reasons beyond this blog topic. But nonetheless, without museums none of the amazing stories below would have happened. And that would be really, really unfortunate.

1. The time we learned that there are more museums in the US than Starbucks and McDonalds locations, combined

To be fair, we have no specific issue with Starbucks besides that Unicorn Frappuccino saga, and sometimes a McChicken scratches an itch that nothing else can. But we’re not gonna hide the fact that this story from the Washington Post makes us happier than an unusually short drive-thru line on a day you’re running late for work.

2. When our love of museums and Stranger Things combined to create one amazing impromptu fundraiser

After Gaten Matarazzo (A.K.A. Dustin) wore a Science Museum of Minnesota hoodie during an episode, the museum was inundated with people clambering for the sweet, sweet 80s-era threads. Within a day they had sold $400,000 worth of merchandise.

3. When Wikipedia led the effort to digitize the contents of a Brazilian museum that tragically burned down

Now we have another reason to appreciate Wikipedia besides the occasional hilarious page edit by internet pranksters.

4. This museum that was too clever for their own good

 

View this post on Instagram

 

This is a velociraptor-free workplace. #theperfectsign

A post shared by Tony Celini (@acelini) on

5. The time a 10 year old humbled the experts in a London museum

The young man noticed a misidentified dinosaur and alerted museum staff to their mistake, who graciously admitted that he was right. Then, we’re assuming, he dropped the prehistoric mic while strutting out the door.

6. When a kid in Saskatchewan had thousands of dollars worth of specimens stolen from his rock museum, then rock enthusiasts from around the world sent him replacements

Just the fact that someone started their own museum as a teenager is impressive enough. But after learning that he sends 10% of museum proceeds to a unfunded orphanage in Africa, it’s clear that this could not have happened to a more deserving person.

Faith in humanity restored.

7. The time a South African orphan teenager saw his artwork featured in the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan

A reminder that great talent can come from literally anyone and anywhere.

8. Every time someone found a museum dedicated to their unusual interest

It’s truly incredible that one can find a museum catered to nearly any interest. Seriously, at this moment, museums exist that are dedicated to barbed wire, instant ramen, medieval torture instruments, toilets, hair, and, umm, Icelandic mammal phalluses. And those are all from one Time Magazine article.

What a time to be alive.