Information Age: People, Information and Technology

Beginning with Samuel Morse's invention of the telegraph in the 1830s, this exhibition of more than 700 artifacts explores how information technology has changed our lives—as individuals and as a society—over the past 150 years. Objects such as Morse's telegraph, a piece of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, Alexander Graham Bell's original telephone, the early ENIAC computer, the German ENIGMA encoder, and modern microcomputers are on display, along with scores of video stations and computer-driven work stations.

The exhibition also explores the influence of radio, television, wartime advances in information technology, the rise of the computer industry, and the spread of computer use in may sectors of modern life. The Interactive Gallery features a changing selection of recent examples of technology. Here and throughout the exhibition, visitors can take advantage of dozens of interactive demonstrations and activities.