On January 31, 1961, a chimpanzee named Ham became the first great ape to travel to space ... the team at NASA sent Ham to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he lived for 17 years.

and chimpanzees is in the running for USA Today's 10 Best Zoo Exhibits in the nation. Vote for the Great EscApe now through March 10 here. The exhibit has been open since 1993 and offers up-close ...