Oohs, aahs, and ahas in Philly

The "From Taste to Tech: 100 Years of Nordic Innovation & Impact" exhibit at American Swedish Historical Museum entertains while also being memorable, inspiring and sparking fresh questions and joyful discoveries for everyone.  

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  Interior from the exhibit at American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia. "From Taste to Tech: 100 Years of Nordic Innovation & Impact"

• Step inside an exhibit bursting with ohhs, ahhs, and ahas, as surprising trivia and fascinating facts from Swedish and Nordic America come alive. Discover the hidden stories, unexpected connections, and delightful details behind every display of inventions, creations, people and events. Curiosity grows with each reveal of the four subsections covering the last 100 years.
  The new exhibit at American Swedish Historical Museum entertains while also being memorable, inspiring and sparking fresh questions and joyful discoveries for everyone.

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  Charles Schulz, creator of The Peanuts.

• We asked Brett Peters, who is just short of three years in his position as curator at the Philadelphia-based museum what surprised him the most while creating the exhibition:
  “Something that surprised me was that during the Apollo 11 mission astronauts used Hasselblad 500EL cameras (manufactured in Gothenburg, Sweden) to capture over 1,000 images inside the command module and on the lunar surface. Specially modified for space, these cameras produced some of history’s most iconic photographs, including Neil Armstrong’s footprint on the moon, Neil Armstrong reflected in Buzz Aldrin visor, and Earth rising above the moon’s surface.”
  Many locals will remember the 2021 exhibition of the art of Swedish born Disney artist Gustaf Tenggren, but Peters tells us visitors are often surprised to learn about the Nordic connection behind Charlie Brown. 
  The Peanuts comic strip, which ran from 1950 to 2000 was written and illustrated by Norwegian American cartoonist Charles Schulz with tens of millions of daily American readers during its 50-year run. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Charles Schulz was born to a German American father and a Norwegian American mother. Schulz was very close with his mother and "always regarded [himself] really as being Norwegian and not German.” One of his most famous creations was also one of the greatest pop culture icons of all time: Snoopy, originally called “Sniffy.” Schulz remembered a conversation he had with his mother, who told him, "If we ever have another dog, he should be named Snupi (a Norwegian term of endearment)." Schulz kept the idea and changed the spelling to “Snoopy.”

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  Swedish American astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in a photograph taken by Neil Armstrong, who can be seen in the visor reflection along with Earth. Apollo 11 Hasselblad image, photography: NASA.

• We also asked Brett Peters about his own favorite part of the exhibition:
  “It’s the remarkable breadth of Nordic contributions. The exhibition explores dozens of areas where Nordic and Nordic American individuals, ideas, and innovations have shaped everyday life. Whether visitors are passionate about film, design, music, food, technology, or history, there is something that will resonate with them. What we created is ultimately a celebration of Nordic and Nordic American culture—a love letter to the people, stories, and innovations that have left a lasting impact on the world. It is everything we hoped the exhibition would be: engaging, inspiring, and a reflection of the richness and diversity of the Nordic experience.”
  For more info, see https://www.americanswedish.org/exhibitions/taste-tech-100-years-nordic-innovation-impact