Treasuring America's History Through TV

I'm back from a weekend vacation in DC. We ate, we walked, we museum hopped. One of my favorite stops was the Air & Space Museum. Nope, I haven't gone flight-geek just yet. They're housing some of America's Treasures from the American History Museum while it's under renovation. These artifacts and mementos included everything from Edison's first light bulb, an old slave water vessel and Abe Lincoln's top hat. My favorite part of the exhibit? The TV mementos.

I saw Jerry Seinfeld's puffy shirt, the M*A*S*H Signpost, Carrie Bradshaw's laptop, Archie Bunker's chair, an original Kermit the Frog puppet, and some other fascinating items. Not only was it a great experience to see these items up close but it was a nice validation for the role TV plays in our culture. Call it an idiot box, call it the boob tube, call it frivolous, say there's nothing on. But don't tell me the television isn't a vital part of American Culture...for better or worse.