Twitter battles tend to descend into a dumpster fire of insults. But when a duel emerged between two of Britain’s most prestigious museums, it wasn’t just entertaining, it was educational.
A Twitter user started it all with an innocent question:
Who would win in a staff battle between @sciencemuseum and @NHM_London, what exhibits/items would help you be victorious? #askacurator
— Bednarz (@bednarz) September 13, 2017
The NHM responded gloriously:
We have dinosaurs. No contest.
— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) September 13, 2017
But the Science Museum wasn’t going to take that lying down:
@NHM_London is full of old fossils, but we have robots, a Spitfire and ancient poisons. Boom! #AskACurator https://t.co/lsdOS3HqyO
— Science Museum (@sciencemuseum) September 13, 2017
What followed was a battle of science and wits that was highly entertaining to watch. Here are just a few replies:
We have robot dinosaurs, Pterodactyls and the most venomous creatures on Earth. Plus volcanoes and earthquakes … And vampire fish. pic.twitter.com/H2dNv0wgQr
— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) September 13, 2017
Jenny Haniver sees your merman, never bring a nuke to an earth-shattering meteorite fight, and our cockroach specimens w/ survive us all ;) pic.twitter.com/mbEgDseZ7G
— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) September 13, 2017
There is never just one cockroach. And we quietly melt your plastics with our lava. pic.twitter.com/DaaJc5V5lJ
— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) September 13, 2017
*Game of Thrones theme music* Send in the (sea)-dragons… (from The Book of the Great Sea-Dragons by Thomas Hawkins, 1840). pic.twitter.com/K4Duh3w7Vk
— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) September 13, 2017
After two days of ferocious fun, the museums, which are within walking distance of each other in London, ended their battle perfectly:
‘Over…’ [End credits start rolling to Game of Thrones outro music]pic.twitter.com/koH47YGjvO
— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) September 14, 2017