Dorothy's ruby slippers were in poor shape when the Smithsonian acquired them in 1979. Because costume designers considered them a disposable film prop, they threw them into a storage room and forgotten about. The slippers remained in that same neglected condition for years as they sat on display in the American History Museum.
In 2016,…
One of the most beloved artifacts in the Smithsonian is Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (1939). Thousands of visitors approach the glass case each year to stare in awe at the bejeweled pumps as they sparkle under the lights.
But did you know the shoes aren't a matching pair? Or that other…
Last week, a new permanent exhibition opened at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Here are our five favorite objects on view:
1. Joe Louis' gloves from his 1938 victory over a Nazi icon
2. Orson Welles' typewriter. Writing is the foundation of entertainment after all.
3. R2D2 and C3PO. The iconic characters from…