WASHINGTON — Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” have a new home with other artifacts that tell stories of American history at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
The National Museum of American History opens a new exhibit today featuring iconic objects from pop culture along with objects dating to the Pilgrims’ arrival in 1620. “American Stories” is a new chronology of U.S. history from the first encounters of Europeans and American Indians to the 2008 presidential election.
Dorothy’s shoes from the 1939 movie will help show the emergence of American pop culture. Other sections will explore the nation’s founding, growth, innovations and contemporary society. Objects include Ben Franklin’s walking stick and Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone.
It’s the museum’s first major exhibit with a Spanish translation.
