Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Giant (Broken) Heart

The old walkthrough heart exhibit at the Science and Industry Museum

When I was a kid and my parents asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, did I suggest roller skating parties or pony rides or cakes with pink icing roses?  Nope!  I wanted to go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.  This was (and still is) one of the most awesome places on earth.  The museum was chock full of amazing interactive displays including a giant, plaster-of-paris heart complete with cavernous lub-dub sound effects and fabulous mood lighting.  I don't know exactly how big this bad boy was.  It certainly made an impression on me as a kid.  It was big enough to walk through.  And it was so big, that when they decided to upgrade the heart to a newer model, they couldn't remove it intact from the museum.  It was in fact broken into smaller pieces for removal (world's biggest broken heart?)  Some of the pieces were sent to some of the artists, designers and workers who built the original heart. (Yes, it was THAT awesome!)

The heart has been replaced by a brand spanking new interactive heart (world's largest heart transplant?) that features projected video simulations of the working of the heart and a handlebar that allows you to sync the beat of the giant heart with your own.  How awesome is that?  The new heart is LARGE.  I don't know exactly how much it weighs.  But it's over 13 ft. high and over 8 ft. wide and is made out of steel plate.  So I'm fairly confident in my conclusion:

The Giant Heart at the Science and Industry Museum weighs more than me.

Note: Interested in learning more about hearts?  Check out the latest post on Fat Chick Sings!