For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 18, 2000
Contacts:
Edeen Martin 816-268-8218
Truman Library and Museum
Michelle Manuel
or Steffany Hedenkamp 816-842-1500
Barkley & Evergreen Public Relations
TRUMAN LIBRARY IS "LOOKING BACK ON THE
AMERICAN CENTURY"
- Historic exhibition on display from February 5 through April 30, 2000 -
(Independence, Mo.) - Many Americans could tell you exactly where they were
the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Or the day the Beatles played
the Ed Sullivan show. Many remember being amazed by the tricks of Harry Houdini,
and frightened by the blast-off of Sputnik.
Fortunately, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Mo.,
has preserved these incredible moments in history in their new exhibition, "Looking
Back on the American Century." From Feb. 5 through April 15, 2000, museum
visitors will experience some of the greatest events and people of the 20th
Century through the original artifacts they've left behind.
From Charles Lindbergh's flight suit and Amelia Earhart's pilot's license,
to James Dean's motorcycle and a stage suit worn by Elvis, more than three dozen
artifacts highlight this one-of-a-kind exhibition. Also on display will be a
propeller from the Wright Brothers' airplane, the original safety plug from
the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, a full-size Model-T Roadster, and the 1932
Academy Award presented to Walt Disney for the creation of Mickey Mouse.
Photographs of many of the major events and personalities of the century will
complement the artifacts.
Advance tickets to "Looking Back on the American Century" (free with
the price of museum admission) are available by calling Central Ticket Office
at (816) 235-2700.
"Looking Back on the American Century" is both a retrospective of
the past 100 years and a representation of the kind of important historic artifacts
that will be featured at the Truman Library in the future," said Truman
Library Director Larry Hackman. "The show represents the final exhibition
to be featured at the Truman Library before it undergoes an extensive renovation
to create new permanent exhibits as well as a multi-media Learning Center on
Decision Making and Citizenship."
Library renovations will begin in May 2000. New permanent exhibitions and
the Learning Center will help transform the Truman Library into its revitalized
role as a "Classroom for Democracy."
As visitors conclude their tour of the "Looking Back on the American
Century" exhibit, they will see what changes are in store for the Truman
Library. In a series of graphic panels, a companion exhibit will describe, in
detail, the upcoming renovation. Also on display will be a large designer's
model of a proposed new permanent exhibition on the Truman Presidency, which
will open to the public beginning May 2001.
The Truman Library and Museum is located at U.S. Highway 24 and Delaware in Independence, Mo. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a. m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, $3 for children ages 6 to 18, and free for children 5 years and under.
The Harry S. Truman Library is one of ten Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.