The National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. will open a new exhibit on Thursday featuring iconic objects from pop culture and other artifacts that tell stories of American history dating back to the Pilgrims’ arrival in 1620. The exhibit, “American Stories” will be a new chronology of U.S. history from the first encounters of Europeans and Native Americans to the 2008 presidential election.
Dorothy’s sparkling ruby heels from the 1939 classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” will help illustrate the emergence of American pop culture. Other sections of the exhibit will explore the nation’s founding, growth, innovations, and contemporary society. Other artifacts include Benjamin Franklin’s walking stick and Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. It is the museum’s first major exhibit with a Spanish translation.
