Thursday, May 5, 2011

Newseum: A review

What a wonderful time in history to visit a museum about news.

Yes, I was a chaperone for Lulu's middle-school field trip to the Newseum in Washington, DC.

Overall, the Newseum is a museum about the history of news and the evolution of news as well current events in the news.

Typically, the top level of the museum contains rows and rows of the current front pages of newspapers throught the world.  Their website boasts newspaper covers from over 800 newspapers across the globe.

On this particular day, however, their front page covers were replaced with the covers from the day following the death of Osama Bin Laden.


The Newseum has a September 11 exhibit.  It includes a piece of the antennae from one of the New York Twin Towers.  September 11 news is featured from floor to ceiling on the wall to the left of the antennae (not pictured).  Today, clips of recent news headlines were also projected on the wall behind the antennae.  It was a very poignant image.
 

The September 11 exhibit also highlighted even more of the recent news.


There was lots to see at the museum.  The 4D movie was one of the coolest parts of the museum.  This movie pulls you back in time as you follow three reporters who risk their lives to tell the world exactly what is going on behind the scenes or on the battle front.  

I also liked the replica of Tim Russert's office.


Other items of interest included, OJ Simpons's suit, the Unabomber's cabin (replica), and the reproduction of the DC sniper's car that was used by the FBI during court room demonstrations.


For those of you who didn't live in the DC area during the time of the DC sniper crimes, the snipers hid in the trunk of this car and aimed thir guns out of a hole in the license plate area.  They killed unknowing people as they left department stores and as they stood still while pumping gas (easy target). 

During this time, I (like others) did not have my kids in the car when I went to get gas and I zig-zagged as I left department stores and headed for my car.  Many elementary schools and daycares stopped letting the kids play outside.  Some local communities cancelled youth sporting events.  It was a very scary time to live in the DC-metro area.

To this day, I sway back-and-forth when I get gas, making myself a less-easy target if someone has a gun pointed my way.  Is this silly of me?  Perhaps.

A trip to the Newseum is an amazing experience that anyone from about 7th grade on up will enjoy.  Stop by if you can; you won't be disappointed.

4 comments:

Fairy Grandmother said...

I loved it when I went...we will need to take my mom when she comes to visit!

Nap Mom said...

Ahem... and I am sure that you won't go without me. Right???

Lori said...

Very interesting! .. though I probably wouldn't have thought so when I was in school :)

Suz and Joe said...

Glad to know I was not the only one swaying - Joe used to make fun of me for doing it. I was scared to pieces during that whole ordeal!