1945-: Postwar and Contemporary America

Elmo, 1979

Sesame Street Muppet

Elmo first appeared on Sesame Street in 1979, but his character, as a cheerful three-and-a-half-year-old with a positive attitude, didn't come together until 1984. Since the Elmo has become one of the most popular Sesame Street Muppets, appearing in television specials and videos and inspiring several toys--notably, from 1996, "Tickle Me Elmo."

Gift from the Family of Jim Henson:
Lisa Henson, Cheryl Henson, Brian Henson, John Henson, and Heather Henson

Alice Paul's Equal Rights Amendment Charm Bracelet, 1972

Representing eleven of the thirty-five states that ratified the ERA

Women’s roles in the home, at work, and in society changed dramatically between 1923, when Alice Paul first proposed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, and 1972, when Congress passed it. But the ERA fell three states short of ratification, ending the last serious quest for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing that men and women are granted equal rights under the law.

Gift of Alice Paul Centennial Foundation, Inc.

Prosthetic Leg Socket, 2003

Made for Staff Sergeant Justin Kautz, Operation Iraqi Freedom

Medical innovation is a necessary consequence of warfare. Whether in a lab or on the battlefield, solutions for trauma care have advanced rapidly to meet the needs of wounded soldiers. New treatments and technologies, along with better transportation, mean that more soldiers now survive devastating injuries.

Transfer from U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics, through Dr. Ralph Urgolites

Jonas Salk's Polio Vaccine, 1954–55

Vial of some of the first vaccine given to humans

Although Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine promised to eradicate one of the most feared diseases of the early 20th century, its acceptance was hardly easy. Many people feared catching the disease from the vaccine and, in fact, poor quality control by one of the manufacturers led to the infection of about 200,000 people. Others worried about the role of the federal government in administering the vaccine. Today, polio vaccines have eliminated the paralyzing disease throughout most of the world.

Gift of National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis

Integrated Circuit, about 1994

Made by Analog Devices, Inc.

Before the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958, many electronic devices relied on large glass vacuum tubes or transistors to create and process electrical signals. Continuing development has led to silicon-based microchips that are smaller and faster; as a rule the number of components on integrated circuits doubles every two years. The chips now hold billions of tiny electronic switches, and offer ever-greater computing power at low cost.

Gift of Integrated Circuit Engineering Corporation

Apolo Ohno's Speed Ice Skates, 2002

Worn in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah

Maintaining traditional values can be difficult for recently arrived families in the United States. Like many immigrant children, Apolo Ohno rebelled against his Japanese-born father’s strict, traditional ways. But his father’s guidance helped Ohno become the most decorated American winter Olympian, credited with popularizing the sport of short-track speed skating.

Gift of Apolo Anton Ohno and Yuki Ohno

Typewriter, about 1960

Used by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

San Francisco poet and artist Lawrence Ferlinghetti published and promoted the Beats, a group of post-World War I avant-garde writers and artists. His 1956 arrest on obscenity charges, for publishing Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl, led to a landmark legal decision affirming the right to free speech.

Archie Bunker's Chair, about 1970

From the CBS television show All in the Family, 1971–79

As the post–World War II baby boom generation matured in the 1970s, many questioned the accepted view of the United States as an ideal and fully free society. Television began to reflect the growing awareness of social injustice with shows like the often-controversial All in the Family. It dealt with race, ethnicity, changing social mores, and the women’s liberation movement.

Gift of Tandem/TAT Productions, through Norman Lear

Elphaba Costume, 2003

From the Broadway musical WICKED

Since its 1900 publication, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has inspired one very well-known movie as well as books, songs, and even Broadway musicals. Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman’s award-winning Wicked is based on a 1995 Gregory Maguire novel that explores the relationship between good and evil personified by Glinda the Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Gift of Wicked LLC; costume designed by Susan Hilferty and constructed by Eric Winterling, Inc., hat constructed by Rodney Gordon, Inc., broom designed and constructed by Chic Silber/Sunshine Scenic Studios

Don Draper's Suit, 2007

Worn by Jon Hamm on AMC's Mad Men

The television drama Mad Men explored the life, work, and relationships of Don Draper, a partner in the fictional advertising agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The show was set in the 1960s, at a time when the creative revolution changed advertising. Mad Men sparked a revival in vintage fashions.

Gift of AMC

Generation 4 iPod, 2004

Designed by Apple in California, assembled in China

In the 21st century, America has re-emerged as a leader of innovation in music-playing technology. Apple’s introduction of the iPod in 2001 demonstrated that consumer products in the digital age could be well-designed, easy to use, and portable. Its success fueled the growth of the digital marketplace, which has revolutionized how we purchase music and countless other goods.

Gift of Luke Leyh

RCA-Victor 45-RPM Roundtable, about 1949

Made in the United States

As in many areas of manufacturing, the United States dominated the phonograph industry through innovation, mass production, and competitive pricing up to the mid-1900s. But as demand for record players grew after World War II, European and Asian makers took advantage of existing technologies and lower labor costs to sell less-expensive machines. By 1970, Japanese manufacturers had captured a majority of the U.S. phonograph market.

Gift of Irving Kolodin

Bob Dylan's Leather Jacket, about 1965

Worn during a performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival

Musician Bob Dylan’s poignant and poetic lyrics made him a leader of America’s acoustic folk revival during the early 1960s. At the Newport Festival, he defied audience expectations and performed with electric instruments for the first time. While this infuriated many folk purists, it proved Dylan’s individuality as an artist, and remains a defining moment in the history of American popular music.

Loan from Bob Dylan

Celia Cruz's Shoes, 1997

Worn by the Cuban “Queen of Salsa”

Fidel Castro’s 1959 overthrow of the Cuban government and subsequent alliance with the Soviets meant an end to the United States’ long involvement in the economy and politics of the island nation. As the political landscape changed dramatically in Cuba, many fled the country, including singer Celia Cruz, who found her place in New York City’s thriving Latino music scene and never returned to her country of origin.

Gift of Celia Cruz