Fossilized phalluses, model UFOs, torture chambers, and other subjects people thought fit to exhibit

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Las Vegas is now home to the Mob Museum. The cultural ode to organized crime opened its doors on February 14, marking the 83rd anniversary of Chicago's St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Gang wars erupted in the Illinois state in 1929, leading to the murder of seven mob associates. Now you can learn about it all, up close and personal in Sin City—a place with its own history of mob ties.

Exhibits include a revolver found at the site of the famous massacre and the barber chair, in which 1950′s mobster Albert Anastasia was assassinated. In order to keep things accurate, the museum staffs former FBI agents, former police officers, historians, and other experts. The Mob Museum isn't the only offbeat institution, of course. We've found a few other bizarrely fascinating museums around the world that easily rival it.

This post also appears on Flavorpill, an Atlantic partner site.

Image credit: The International UFO Museum and Research Center

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