This month the San Francisco Exploratorium will celebrate its 40th year in an event that will feature a bubble troubadour, jousting with 14-foot electrical arc and a motorcycle falling onto a block of ice. The Exploratorium is known for its unique approach to science exhibits one that involves its audience and allows it to experience rather than simply provide information.
The Exploratorium opened in the fall of 1969 and was the creation of scientist Frank Oppenheimer in 1969. Oppenheimer, younger brother of Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb, was forced to resign from his research position after he was accused by the House Un-American Activities Committee of associating with the Communist Party. After spending a decade as a cattle rancher, Oppenheimer returned to science with the creation of his "San Francisco project." Armed with a $50,000 grant from the San Francisco foundation, he leased the Palace of Fine Arts, where the museum still resides today. The museum is currently in the final steps of securing the rights to construct a new facility in Port Property at Piers 15 and 17, which could open as soon as 2012. For more information about Exploratorium events and ticket prices please visit www.exploratorium.edu.
