Night at the Museum

When Larry Daly (Ben Stiller) took a position at New York City's American Museum of Natural History, he wasn't expecting the “exhibits” - including President Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams) - to “come alive” after hours. That part of the story, of course, is fictional. But there was a time when characters featured in the film were, in fact, alive.

 So ... who was T. rex? Attila the Hun? Sacagawea? If we could meet Vikings and Neanderthals, what would we see? How did they live? Who were Egyptian mummies when they were alive - and - how are mummies made?

In this story behind the movie, inspect Sue - a fossilized T. rex currently maintained at Chicago’s Field Museum. Examine pictures of Sue’s serrated teeth (some of which are more than a foot long), and learn why the dinosaur’s five-foot skull cannot be displayed with the rest of its skeleton. Try your own skills at mummy-making and “fly through” a Viking’s home.

Then, after taking a side trip to Sagamore Hill (a twenty-three-room mansion once owned by Teddy Roosevelt), journey on to the Library of Congress where you can hear the former president speak (in surviving audio clips) and see him appear in silent film.

What you learn from the primary sources (and explanatory animations) in this story may surprise you.