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Lab coat worn by Bill Nye on Bill Nye the Science Guy

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Description
Lab coat worn by Bill Nye on the television series Bill Nye the Science Guy. The light blue lab coat has five pockets, a back belt, and five clear plastic buttons.
Bill Nye the Science Guy was a half-hour series produced by KCTS Seattle and syndicated by Buena Vista Television from 1993-1998. In the series, Bill Nye, an engineer and entertainer, taught scientific concepts in a fast-paced style, peppered with humor and musical interludes. Nye first developed the persona and concept for the show while moonlighting as a sketch comedian in Seattle, then received funding from the National Science Foundation and US Department of Energy to develop the program as a television series. Nye described the show as a combination of Pee-wee's Playhouse and Mr. Wizard, and its playful, accessible style made it a success with audiences and critics. After the Children's Television Act was enacted into law in 1990, television stations actively sought educational programming to meet the new federal requirements for license renewal, and Bill Nye the Science Guy became a popular choice in syndication. It was the first television program to run concurrently on both public and commercial broadcast stations, and the series won 19 Emmy Awards over the course of its run. Studies have shown that viewers of the show demonstrate increased comprehension and application of scientific facts and concepts and interest in science compared to non-viewers.
Credit Line
Bill Nye
ID Number
2016.0177.01
catalog number
2016.0177.01
accession number
2016.0177
Object Name
lab coat
Physical Description
polyester (overall material)
cotton (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 43 in x 23 1/2 in; 109.22 cm x 59.69 cm
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
Exhibition
Entertainment Nation
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
Subject
Television
Science
Children's television programs
Record ID
nmah_1843708
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-0e29-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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Lab coat, bow tie, and shirt worn by Bill Nye the Science Guy
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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