Brazil Lost 80 Percent of Its National Museum Collection in One Night. Here's How It's Fighting to Rebuild

Brazil Lost 80 Percent of Its National Museum Collection in One Night. Here’s How It’s Fighting to Rebuild Ever since a 2018 blaze destroyed priceless artifacts and scientifically important specimens, museum staff have devoted themselves to reopening its doors to the public Joel Balsam May 26, 2026 7:00 a.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source An aerial view of the Rio de Janeiro under reconstruction. Brazil's Museu Nacional The news arrived with both excitement and a pang of grief: The oldest national history museum in the Americas was slated to partially reopen for the first time since a 2018 fire destroyed more than 16 million objects—80 percent of its collections.

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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.