After a day at the AEJMC conference we set out for the Smithsonian, which has many museums on the National Mall. And the mall looks pretty rough. But the Capitol is nice.
Here are a few of the artifacts we saw. These microphones were used by Franklin D. Roosevelt for his famous fireside chats:
This miniature desk, designed by Thomas Jefferson, was where he wrote drafts of the Declaration of Independence:
A movie I’d never heard of, but now I want to see. Apparently James Earl Jones is not a big fan, but no worry. The plot is that there was an accident that killed high ranking officials and Jones’ character rose to the White House. That did not go over well. Mostly because they didn’t know he was also Darth Vader:
I don’t collect things like this, but I really, really want a Clinton Jack-in-the-Box. Now imagine your best Clinton voice humming the Jack-in-the-Box song:
In one museum display they have correctly described an entire generation:
And there was so much, much more. There was the flag that inspired the national anthem — the first time I was here it was still being restored. You can’t take pictures of it, and you can’t quite make out the contemporary covers of the tune from where you see the flag, but the giant old flag is worth the walk alone.
Did I mention walking? My feet hurt. We haven’t even done that much walking.
Oh, by the way, the conference is being held near Chinatown. Here’s the big hint:
Tomorrow we learn to ride Segways.
