| Museum of Science and History | |
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| Established | 1969 |
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Website | www.themosh.org |
The Museum of Science and History (MOSH) is a museum in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. It is a private, non-profit institution located on the Southbank Riverwalk, and the city's most visited museum.[1] Primarily intended as a hands-on science and history experience for children, MOSH features interactive, award-winning exhibitions such as Currents of Time, which explores 12,000 years of Northeast Florida history, and Atlantic Tails, presenting the mammals indigenous to northeast Florida's waterways.[2] One of the most popular attractions is the 200-seat Alexander Brest Planetarium with several shows daily. The 60-foot (18 m) diameter dome-shaped projection screen allows the audience to gaze at the stars and learn about astronomy, past and present.
The roots of MOSH go back to 1941 when the Jacksonville Children's Museum was chartered. The first home was a Victorian mansion in Riverside. Construction began on the current location downtown in 1965, and the facility opened in 1969. The Jacksonville Children's Museum became the Jacksonville Museum of Arts and Sciences in 1977 and six years later, they were accredited by the American Association of Museums. The name was changed to Museum of Science and History in 1988 and 37,500 square feet (3,480 m2) of space was added, including the Alexander Brest Planetarium. The last building renovation occurred in 1994 resulting in a total of 82,200 square feet (7,640 m2).