The Franklin, the most-visited museum in Pennsylvania and a Top Twenty most visited museum in the United States, has announced that it will be hosting an exclusive world appearance of Galileo, Medici and The Age of Astronomy.

The Smithsonian's National Postal Museum has received a well-known stamp collection from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The Harry L. Jefferys collection, which includes an inverted Jenny and numerous other philatelic rarities, was bequeathed to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in 1948 by insurance executive H.L. Jefferys. It has been in storage at the Institute for decades.

Tickets for the Philadelphia debut of the "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibition at The Franklin are now available for public purchase in preparation for the February 9 opening.

The Franklin Institute, increasingly known for its dynamic traveling exhibits, will be launching its newest, Identity: An Exhibition of You, this week. The exhibit will be kicked off this evening with a keynote address from mayoral-elect Michael Nutter speaking on “The Identity of the New Philadelphia” in the museum’s historic Franklin Hall.

The Franklin Institute celebrates the creepiest time of year with its annual Halloween Spooktacular on Saturday, October 27, 2007 from noon to 3 pm, a festival of everything that goes bump in the night! Lucy Hawking will read from her new book, “George’s Secret Key to the Universe”.

With over 1.2 million tickets sold to date and approximately one month remaining in the exhibition run, “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is on pace to break the U.S. traveling exhibition attendance record. The previous record of 1.3 million visitors was set in 1977 when the “Treasures of Tutankhamun” visited The Field Museum in Chicago.

Every Friday evening through Labor Day you might notice a special golden glow coming from the direction of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway -- it’s Tut After Dark, The Franklin Institute’s Science Museum special summer offering featuring music (sometimes live), cash bar, special star lounge programming in the Planetarium, and lots of fun!

Just weeks after celebrating its one millionth visitor of 2007, The Franklin Institute sold the one millionth ticket for “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," putting the museum on track to become the most successful venue on the exhibit’s current 27-month U.S. tour.

Uncommon insight and out-of-the-box thinking will be acknowledged and celebrated this April, during a week-long series of events and activities, culminating in the prestigious 2007 Franklin Institute Awards. Nine preeminent trailblazers in the fields of science, business and technology will be recognized for their significant discoveries and achievements, which directly impact our daily lives or contribute to our present and future well-being.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs brings to life ancient wonders, historic intrigue and a modern-day forensic adventure, all in one eye-popping new film, opening at the Tuttleman IMAX Theater. A natural complement to Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, at The Franklin Institute through September 30, 2007, Mummies takes viewers on a journey back thousands of years to explore why mummification was so vital to ancient Egyptian life.