With a handful of exhibits and a $50,000 grant from the San Francisco Foundation, the Exploratorium’s founder, Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, opened the doors of the museum in 1969 without any fanfare. In the forty years since, the museum has grown enormously, adding groundbreaking educational programs plus playful, thought-provoking exhibitions (on site and online), artworks, Webcasts, events, publications, and much more. We’re celebrating our past, present, and future at the museum and online.
See our events page for details about 40th anniversary-related activities. And while you’re on the Web, be sure to check out downloadable episodes from our Speaking of Music Rewind podcast series, an interactive timeline, and a 3-D surprise.
We’re proud to offer this 40th anniversary look at the Exploratorium. In addition to bringing the excitement of exploration to people of all ages at our home in San Francisco, the museum has also influenced science education on an international scale. Voted “Best Science Center in the World” by attendees of the 4th Science Center World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, the Exploratorium’s philosophy of hands-on, minds-on exploration now spans the globe.