Mobilizing Young Minds

Mobilizing Young American Minds

1950-1970

Closed September 17, 2011

About this case

Historic events of the 1950s and 1960s encouraged bold reforms in mathematics and science teaching in the United States. Fearing achievements of the USSR, American parents, teachers, scientists and politicians strove to maximize the brainpower of the nation. At home, elementary school children had had special books and toys that featured math, science and space flight.  At school and in the community, they learned science and mathematics in new ways. Mobilizing Young American Minds includes entertainments from the home such as New Math Addition Flash Cards, an anatomical model called The Visible Man, and a Gilbert Microscope and Lab Set.  Objects from the community include a Spitz planetarium projector, Cuisenaire rods, and an unusual programmed textbook.

The website for this exhibition was retired in 2023 due to incompatibility with current web standards. View an archived site snapshot.

About the artifact walls

Artifact walls, consisting of 275 linear feet of glass-fronted cases lining the first and second floor center core, highlight the depth and breadth of the collections and convey that the Museum collects, studies and exhibits objects from our nation's rich and diverse history.