History of the New England Aquarium

History of the New England Aquarium. . , The construction of the New England Aquarium on Central Wharf marked the beginning of Boston's waterfront renaissance. The idea for an aquarium began in 1957, when a group of local businesspeople led by David B. Stone formed the New England Aquarium Corporation with the intention of founding an aquarium in Boston. The directors of the new organization chose the then-rundown Boston waterfront as the site for their project as part of the Boston Waterfront Urban Renewal Plan., The New England Aquarium was an immediate success, drawing 12,000 visitors the day it opened on June 20, 1969, and more than 450,000 during the first year of operation., The New England Aquarium is considered the first modern aquarium. It inspired similar projects all over the world, including aquariums in Baltimore, Maryland; Monterey Bay, California; and Osaka, Japan. It also helped to resurrect the Boston waterfront, changing a neglected part of the city into a civic treasure., Today the Aquarium draws more than 1.3 million visitors each day. It's innovative exhibits and educational programs aim to create the next generation of ocean protectors, while building widespread awareness of the need to live blue^TM. The Aquarium is a pioneer in marine animal rescue and a leading ocean conservation organization with research scientists working on projects around the globe., [Captions:] , The Giant Ocean Tank revolutionized how visitors view animals., The Aquarium is home to more than 750 animal species on four levels of exhibits., Turtle releases are part of the Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Program., The Aquarium's Right Whale Research Program is the oldest and most extensive of its kind.