Not superhero toys, video games, 11-year-old from Illinois, USA, had a different passion. Today, his hobby has earned him a place in Guinness World Records

At his age, boys often collect toy figurines or comic books or play video games. However, Anderson Taylor, a youngster from a small Midwestern town in the USA, became the youngest museum curator at just age 11. He was awarded the Guinness World Record for being the youngest male curator of a museum, the first to ever hold the title. According to Smithsonian magazine, he established the Cambridge Natural History Museum in Cambridge, Illinois, on August 10, 2024, when he was just 9 years old.

He told the magazine that he had had a fascination with dinosaurs ever since he was three years old. He discovered a fossil in his yard. He gathered many fossils throughout his early years. Some came from the Cambridge region, while others came from his family's journey to Scotland, where he was inspired by a little museum that was similar to his own.

He and his pals frequently search a limestone gravel playground at school for treasures. Taylor started designing his museum at the age of seven in order to house his collection and offer a venue for educating people about the natural world. After numerous presentations, the city awarded him a grant that helped fund his proposal. Taylor and his family were able to buy the building thanks to a GoFundMe.


He has now collected about 1,000 or so items in his collection. Some of his personal favourites include an opalised dinosaur bone and a mastodon femur.

Apart from maintaining the museum, Taylor also enjoys educating other people about history through presentations, both in his museum and on the roads.

Logan Meier, a resident of Cambridge, praised Taylor for his enthusiasm and passion. “I love that he brought this to our small community. It gives people something to look forward to when it’s open, something that can bring their kids to, to maybe learn a thing or two..." he said.