The Smithsonian Museum of Natural
History in Washington D.C. is finally getting a Tyrannosaurus -rex to add to its
dinosaur collection. The monster size
fossil that will soon be on display is on loan from the Army Corps of Engineers
for the next 50 years. Seventeen years
ago the Smithsonian was in pursuit of the Field Museum in Chicago’s T. -rex
named Sue, but came up short.
How did the Field Museum land Sue
over the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.? It is actually a good question and a
great story!
Sue, the Tyrannosaurus -rex, was
discovered in 1990 by Sue Hendrickson who worked for the Black Hills Institute
of Geological Research in South Dakota.
Thus, thee massive fossil was nicknamed after Hendrickson and remains
the largest and most complete specimen of the T.-rex to date.
Shortly after the discovery of
Sue an ownership dispute began. Maurice
Williams, the property owner where Sue was found, eventually was awarded
custody of the fossil after a federal court battle. David Redden, an auctioneer for Sotheby’s a New
York City auction company, was captivated by Sue and reached out to Williams. Redden believed the fossil belonged in a
public institute and it was then decided that the enormous treasure should be
put up for sale.
The Field Museum’s then
president, John McCather, was excited by the prospect of having Sue in Chicago
and reached out to McDonald’s who had financed many projects for the Field Museum
before. Almost instantly McDonald’s was on board to pursue the purchase of Sue
at Sotheby’s. McDonalds also brought
Walt Disney on board for the acquisition.
On October 4,th 1997
the auction for the sale of Sue lasted only 9 minutes. The bidding started at a whopping $500,000
and increased by $100,000 increments. After a three way battle at the end of
the sale Sue was sold to the Field Museum for an incredible $7.6 million.
Sue’s multi-million dollar sale
rocked the paleontology world forever and stirred controversy over fossil
ownership rights for several years.
Sue was finally mounted and put
on display for the world to visit at the Field Museum of Natural History in
Chicago in 2000. The larger than life fossil is now the center of attention, standing
thirteen feet tall at her hip, and Sue is photographed by visitors from around the
world. (http://fieldmuseum.org/)
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