From the Archives: The New England Aquarium

A WGBH employee for more than two decades, I have worked with the show Greater Boston for the last 15 years, first as an assistant director/editor and making my way up to supervising producer. It has been the most rewarding time of my life, and working with the best people in news and television has taught me everything I know.

July 19, 2012

Updated July 03, 2023

Greater Boston has partnered with the Boston Globe to bring you a weekly feature called "From the Archives." Each Wednesday on Greater Boston, we will show one to two photos from the newspaper's archives. This weekly feature offers a glimpse into Boston's past.

This week, we look at … the New England Aquarium.
The New England Aquarium opened in the summer of 1969. The city had been without an aquarium for 15 years since the previous aquatic museum in South Boston closed in 1954. It is hard to believe this oceanfront city was without such an important staple for so long.

In this photo, taken on Feb. 26, 1973, Stephen Genthe, 5, from Newark, N.J., enjoys the antics of the penguins on their fake snowy "icebergs." Ten black-footed penguins were shipped from South Africa to the aquarium for the opening in 1969. The birds, which cost $80 each, took a two-day flight without food or water. They would have become ill if fed or watered in flight. By the time this photo was taken, they were well-accustomed to their new home in Boston.

> > WATCH: Boston Globe archivists talk about the photo.