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The experts at The Henry Ford have carefully created these sets. Explore a specific topic or use these as a foundation for building your own collection.
Created 07.10.2020 | 27 artifacts
Browse selected artifacts recently added to The Henry Ford's digital collections. These are just a handful of the more than 600 new items digitized in November 2020.
Created 07.01.2020 | 50 artifacts
In 2020, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 sparked a worldwide pandemic. In response, The Henry Ford closed its doors on March 13 of that year and did not open them again until July 2. During that time, our Digital Collections was the most popular section of our website. Here are the artifacts virtual visitors were browsing most often during our closure, in order of popularity. Do you see patterns?
Created 04.20.2020 | 26 artifacts
These key artifacts appeared on the sixth season of The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation. For episode information, please visit https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/innovation-nation/episodes.
Created 01.14.2021 | 13 artifacts
In 1973, AT&T partnered with Henry Dreyfuss & Associates, creating a collection of specialty "Design Line" telephones. From colonial pastiche to space age futurism, customers could tailor their telephone to fit a range of home decors. These devices were sold before the Bell System divestiture in the early-1980s. Customers paid a premium for the custom phone shell, but its interior mechanisms continued to be maintained and owned by AT&T.
Created 01.04.2021 | 50 artifacts
2020 was a noteworthy year, with a worldwide pandemic, protests across the United States (and beyond) in support of Black lives, and a contentious presidential election. What artifacts from our collections were you looking at this year? Auto racing items, objects related to African American history, cars, and shoes were among our most-viewed artifacts in this unusual year.
Created 12.16.2020 | 27 artifacts
Jessica Robinson, co-founder of Detroit Mobility Lab, Michigan Mobility Institute, and Assembly Ventures, was the Spring 2020 Entrepreneur-in-Residence at The Henry Ford, funded by the William Davidson Foundation Initiative for Entrepreneurship. In the following interview clips, Robinson explains how her organizations -- and even her residency projects -- encourage technological education in the midst of dramatic new transportation technologies.
Created 12.10.2020 | 25 artifacts
The 48,000-mile Interstate Highway System connects all corners of the United States with high-speed, limited-access roadways. Funding for new construction and ongoing maintenance comes from taxes on vehicles, tires, and -- mostly -- fuel. But as cars get more efficient and drivers shift to hybrids and electrics, gas tax revenues get smaller. Highway funds shrink as the costs of caring for an aging system grow.
Created 12.10.2020 | 18 artifacts
Luxury cars offered the greatest in comfort and the latest in technology. They also provided status -- a large part of their attraction. Builders like Rolls-Royce specialized in extravagant cars with corresponding prices, while mass-market manufacturers like General Motors and Ford offered Cadillacs and Lincolns for customers of more modest means. Sport sedans and SUVs may have replaced carriage-inspired Victoria bodies, but luxury still sells.
Created 11.23.2020 | 100 artifacts
In fall 2020, The Henry Ford digitized its 100,000th artifact. As part of a month-long celebration of that happy event, we assembled this set of the 100 artifacts most-viewed online since our first collections website was launched in the early 2010s. Many are fan favorites from Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, but others might surprise you.