10. The Museum Displays Part Of a 1,400 Year Old Tree

Cross section of a giant sequoia tree on display at the American Museum of Natural History

In the Hall of North American Forests in the American Museum of Natural History rests a slice of a 1,400 year old giant sequoia tree. The tree used to stand at more than 300 feet in California, but lumberjacks felled it in 1891. Sequoias have many unique features, including thick, fire-resistant barks, natural wood preservatives and high disease resistance. It is currently illegal to cut one down.