Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

The Museum of Science and industry in Chicago - one of the nation's oldest, largest, and most comprehensive museums of technology - captivates more than two million visitors a year. Since its founding in 1933, it has sought to bring before the public the full scope of the dramatic technological changes that have created the modern world. This celebratory volume is the first to make the Museum's landmark architecture, rich history, and lively interactive exhibits accessible to readers everywhere. In his introduction, author Jay Pridmore relates how the Museum was founded by Chicago businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and how it was installed in the imposing Palace of Fine Arts, an architectural monument from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Then, he leads an entertaining and informative tour of the Museum, featuring the incredibly diverse exhibits in five "zones" - Energy, Transportation, Space and Defense, The Human Body and Communications. Discussed and illustrated are such dramatic "icons" of the Museum's early years as the Coal Mine, a complete working mine operation installed in the basement, and the U-505, a German submarine captured during World War II. Among the many other highlights are a full-size Boeing 727 airliner; the Apollo 8 spacecraft, which circled the Moon in 1968; an early display on the prenatal development of a human baby; and the nation's first permanent exhibit on AIDS. As he tells the Museum's story, Pridmore also traces the fascinating development of twentieth-century technology.