Art Museums

Do you like looking at great art? Okay, here is what you should do. Order a pizza, put on some soft, classical music, and visit one of these Web sites. There's a lot to see and I bet you'll find it really relaxing. Best of all, you won't have to worry about getting pizza stains on the paintings.


Web:

http://www.amn.org/
http://www.artmuseum.net/
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/
http://www.nga.gov/


Book Museums

I love to read, and books have always been important to me. That's why I find it interesting to visit these museums, where there are exhibits about the history of books, as well as pictures and information about rare books and manuscripts. (Actually, my favorite book museum is in my library, where I have copies of all of my own books.)


Web:

http://2002.imj.org.il/shrine/
http://gulib.lausun.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/bkex96...
http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/rarebook.html


Congressional Medal of Honor Museums

In the United States, the highest military award for valor is the Medal of Honor. Relatively few such medals are awarded, and when they are, they are presented by the President in the name of Congress (which is why the award is often referred to as the Congregational Medal of Honor). There are three different Medals of Honor, one each for the army, navy and air force. These museums document the history and accomplishments of the brave heroes who have received this very special honor.


Web:

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/medalofh.htm
http://www.cmohs.org/
http://www.homeofheroes.com/


History Museums

There is an old saying, "Those who don't visit online history museums are doomed to repeat something-or-other." Personally, I don't think you should take the chance. Today is a perfect day to look forward into the past. (By the way, if you would like a sense of how much personal computers have changed in a quarter of a century, take a look at a picture of an original Apple I computer (1976) at http://americanhistory.si.edu/timeline/08apple.htm")


Web:

http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/ve/
http://www.iwm.org.uk/lambeth/tour1.htm
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/


Holocaust Museums and Memorials

From the time of Hitler's rise to power (1933) to the end of World War II (1945), the Germans, under Hitler's leadership, conducted a large-scale program to systematically persecute and exterminate the entire Jewish community within the German sphere of influence. This atrocity -- today known as the Holocaust -- resulted in the murder of about 6 million Jews, many of whom were sent to the infamous concentration camps, places whose sole purpose was to efficiently kill large numbers of men, women and children. The Jews were not the only people murdered in the Holocaust. The Germans also rounded up and killed homosexuals, Gypsies, Communists, as well as many Poles and other foreigners whose lands were overrun by the German military. The acts committed by Hitler, the Nazis and the German people during this time period are so depraved as to challenge the imagination. Many people feel that such actions must never be forgotten, and that our society has much to gain by studying and understanding the Holocaust. Around the world, various Holocaust museums and memorials have been built. Here are the Web sites for four of them: Yad Vashem in Israel, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, and the The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York.


Web:

http://www.mjhnyc.org/home.htm
http://www.ushmm.org/
http://www.wiesenthal.com/
http://www.yad-vashem.org.il/


Museum Talk and General Discussion

These are the places where museum curators and other professionals gather to discuss their work. You can talk about plans for new exhibits, problems, questions, answers, and whatever else arises in the lives of the people who set up and maintain museums around the world.


Usenet:

Google Newsreader bit.listserv.museum-l

Listserv Mailing List:

List Name: museum-l
Subscribe To: listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com


Museums Online

(1) It's a rainy day, and the kids need a break from TV. (2) You have a few spare hours before your date comes over to take you to a Monkees reunion concert. (3) You have just put in a brand new swimming pool, and it will take several hours for it to fill with water. What do all these situations have in common? They are perfect times to visit a museum online.


Web:

http://www.icom.org/vlmp/
http://www.musee-online.org/home.asp
http://www.museumspot.com/
http://www.museumstuff.com/


Natural History Museums

Natural history refers to the study of various types of life, particularly relating to its development and evolution. If you are curious about our origins, you'll find these online museums interesting, especially if you like dinosaurs and fossils.


Web:

http://www.amnh.org/
http://www.cyberspacemuseum.com/
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/
http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us/nmmnh/
http://www.wf.carleton.ca/Museum/lobby.html


Religious Museums

From antiquity, much of the best art in the world has been created with religious themes. Here are some online museums where you can enjoy these creations. One of the sites I have included lets you view all the art from the Sistine Chapel. What is amazing is that, using your computer and the Net, you can get a better view of most of the art than if you were at the museum in person. In particular, I bet you will really enjoy looking at close-ups of Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the chapel.


Web:

http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sistine/0-Tour.html
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/vaticano/0-Musei.html
http://www.israelbiblemuseum.com/
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/dead/index2.html
http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/


Science Museums

Science is fun. You can blow things up, stick things together, take things apart and make loud noises, all in the name of knowledge. However, science is a lot more than looking at exhibits: it is a way of thinking about the world. These online museums provide you with things to think about and, more important, things to do in your own home. These sites are great to visit with children, especially if you don't mind cleaning up a mess (in the name of knowledge, of course).


Web:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/
http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/exhibits/
http://www.mos.org/home.html
http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/exhome.html
http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/
http://www.science-tech.nmstc.ca/


Space Museums

One of the stunning achievements of mankind has been our ongoing exploration of space. In many ways, such efforts may be the most important activities going on today. These museums celebrate our achievements and show us what it is like to explore space. You will find a lot of fascinating information, as well as many, many wonderful pictures. Spending even a short time browsing these exhibits should make you proud to be a human being, and glad you are living during this period of time.


Web:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/
http://www.nasm.edu/


Sports Halls of Fame

If you are a real sports fan, you will want to understand the history of your favorite sport. Not only will you appreciate the traditions of the sport, but you will be able to bring a sense of perspective to the performance of current teams and players. Here are the online versions of a number of sports halls of fame: baseball, basketball, bowling, football, hockey, motorsports, soccer, swimming and tennis.


Web:

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/
http://www.bowlingmuseum.com/
http://www.hhof.com/
http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/halloffamers.htm
http://www.ishof.org/honorees.html
http://www.mshf.com/
http://www.profootballhof.com/
http://www.soccerhall.org/
http://www.tennisfame.org/