Aldrin, Buzz; Armstrong, Neil, 1930-; Conrad, Pete, 1930-1999; Bean; Alan, 1932-; Shepard, Alan B. (Alan Bartlett), 1923-; Mitchell, Edgar D.; Irwin, James B. (James Benson); Scott, David Randolph, 1932-; Duke, Charlie, 1935-; Young, John; Schmitt,...
In 1969 when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon and said the words, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind," the world was changed forever. The Space Race, a huge part of American life in the 1960s, had been...
Baskets; Nigeria; Nigeria--Social life and customs; Basket making
These baskets were made using a technique called coiling. Grass strands are gathered in long bundles and wrapped with raffia strips to hold them together. Strands of raffia were dyed different colors with natural pigments to create colorful...
Yikes, that’s scratchy! Long favored as a durable material, wool has been a popular material for uniforms even in this 1960s Navy swim suit. Just forty years before, men wore a suit that covered the chest. After World War II, new synthetic fibers...
Bathing suits; Clothing and dress; Popular cultures; Costume -- History -- 20th century; Nineteen sixties
Would you want to wear a paper swimsuit? The ultimate disposable in our throw-away society, paper clothing was all the rage in the late 1960s. Even though many users felt that the paper was itchy, the clothing never needing to be cleaned you simply...
Bobble heads were popular in the early 1960s, and they made a comeback in 2000 in the form of sports stars. Bobble heads frequently were placed in the rear windows of cars where those driving behind could watch them bobble. This rare set of Beatle...
The introduction of gloves changed boxing technique. With padded hands, boxers focus on the head, requiring a helmet to protect them from injury. Radio and later TV helped fuel the popularity of boxing. During the 1960s, boxing legend Muhammad Ali...
The Addometer was a popular mechanical calculator made from the early 1900s until the 1960s. It was made by the Reliable Typewriter and Adding Machine Co. and was once advertised as a way to “end figuring worries.”
But Where Do You Sit? Frivolous, fun furniture in bright colors and kitschy themes expanded furniture's playfulness in the 1960s. Innovative Italian designers pioneered new ideas, materials and "anti-design" shapes in domestic...
Civil rights movements; African Americans--History; Banners; 1960s
Following civil rights reforms of the 1960s, African Americans continued to search for solutions to issues in the community. In March 1972, delegates from each state and all African Americans holding elected office met in Gary, Indiana for the...
Clothing and dress; Nineteen sixties; Nineteen seventies
This may look like a woman’s outfit, but it was made for a man to wear! This polyester suit was made by Richman Brothers of Indianapolis and was the height of fashion in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Its “Op Art” pattern creates an optical...
In Ancient Egypt, there were many types of breads including pastries and cakes. Because sugar was not available, the wealthy people used honey as a sweetener, while the poor used dates and fruit juices. Pastry cutters were used to cut a piece of...
Football; Football -- Equipment and supplies; Indianapolis Colts (Football team); Indianapolis; Indiana; Sports -- Indiana
In 1984 the Colts moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, the same year this helmet was made. Today, football inspires people all over the world, but 100 years ago very few people knew anything about American style football. An adaptation of English rugby,...
Animated Casper "the friendly ghost" has been giving spooks a good reputation since 1945. The friendly spook first appeared in Paramount's cartoon animation and later in television and comics. Trying to live life as a ghost who would...
Founded in the United States in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low began the Girl Scouts based upon Sir Robert Baden-Powell’s Boy Scouts and Girl Guides program in England. Now in 90 countries, 3.6 million Girl Scouts explore the world around them...
Golf; Golf--Equipment and supplies; Golf clubs (Sporting goods); Golf balls
Once a sport played only at exclusive clubs, Arnold Palmer helped to popularize golf in the 1960s. As families moved to suburbs, golf courses sprang up allowing middle class families to join the game. These clubs are heavy! Today’s metal alloy...
Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom from Mitchell, Indiana was one of the original "Mercury 7," the first astronauts chosen by NASA in 1959. He became the second American man in space in 1961 when he flew the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury...
Guitar; Musical instruments; Dylan, Bob, 1941-; Autographs; Music -- History; Folk music -- History; Music -- United States -- History
Bob Dylan's influence on popular music is immeasurable. Throughout his career, he changed the face of many different genres of music, including folk, rhythm and blues, rock, pop and country. Born in 1961 as Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth,...
For women in the 1930s, a visit to the beauty parlor was a chance to get away from home, to socialize, and to hear the latest gossip. Beauty salons offered job and management opportunities for women. By 1938, there were an estimated 70,000 shops in...
Roy Halston Frowick (1932-1990) was known in the fashion world as Halston. Raised in Evansville, Indiana, he rose to fame after creating the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore for her husband, John F. Kennedy's, inauguration in 1961. By the 1970s...
Headgear; Ghana; Ghana--Social life and customs; Togo--Social life and customs; Helmets; 1960s
Helmets like this one, called ipiedza, are worn by hunters and warriors among peoples of northern Ghana and Togo in Western Africa during festivals associated with hunting and war. The cow horns represent the large animal's power and strength. Used...
