ATLANTA — Saturday marks 19 years since the Georgia Aquarium first opened in downtown Atlanta in 2005.
Since then, more than 40 million people have paid a visit to the largest aquarium in the United States.
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The Georgia Aquarium spent nearly a decade as the largest aquarium in the world from the time it opened until 2012 when it was surpassed by aquariums in Singapore and China.
It’s also home to the only whale sharks, which is the largest fish in the ocean, living in an aquarium outside of Asia.
The aquarium’s founder, Home Depot co-founder and philanthropist Bernie Marcus, passed away earlier this month at the age of 95.
Marcus donated $250 million to have the Georgia Aquarium built because he wanted children to learn about marine life.
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Aquarium officials told Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen that Marcus was a frequent visitor for all 19 of the aquarium’s years.
“Bernie and Billi, his wife, really loved the beluga whales. That was one of their favorites,” Georgia Aquarium’s Dan Dipiazzo said.
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