Smithsonian to open new chronology of US history

WASHINGTON - The Associated Press

President Barack Obama speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, DC, February 22, 2012. AFP photo

Dorothy's ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" will soon have a new home with other artifacts that tell stories of American history at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

The National Museum of American History will open a new exhibit Thursday featuring iconic objects from pop culture along with objects dating back to the Pilgrims' arrival in 1620. "American Stories" will be a new chronology of U.S. history from the first encounters of Europeans and Native Americans to the 2008 presidential election.

Dorothy's heels from the 1939 movie will help show the emergence of American pop culture. Other sections will explore the nation's founding, growth, innovations and contemporary society. Objects include Ben Franklin's walking stick and Alexander Graham Bell's telephone.

It's the museum's first major exhibit with a Spanish translation.