Your Place
in Time
Daily Activities at Your Place in Time
While there are no scheduled activities today, be sure to see our complete activities listing for upcoming offerings.
Highlighting five generations that came of age in the 20th century, this exhibit presents each generation and the everyday technologies that shaped them through a series of vignettes. Immerse yourself in different eras and contemplate what it was like for each group as they came of age. Where is your place in America's past? What touching and once-familiar artifacts might you find here that stir memories of the social and cultural values that defined your own generation?
Highlights
The Progressive Generation
Shaped by mass migrations, the First Generation of the 20th century saw a transformation of culture. They experienced the Suffrage Movement, the Model T, and Babe Ruth.
This immigrant generation created the foundation for modern times. The rapid amalgamation of various ethnicities and cultures led to a progressive and innovative energy and gave rise to such wonders as Wright Brothers’ first flight.
The War Generation
Shaped by the horrors of the Great Depression and World War II, the War Generation (born between 1920 and 1932) was tough. They were raised on the radio, experienced Pearl Harbor, rationing, and the New Deal, along with the irrepressible Shirley Temple. Movies helped to alleviate the everyday stress of the Depression. Our 1930s Hollywood souvenir store houses artifacts of the “Stars” culture.
Baby Boomers
The Baby Boomer generation (1946-64) fought the war in Vietnam and launched the 1960s counterculture.
The third generation of the 20th century, the Baby Boomers are also the largest. Shaped by the tragic Kennedy assassination, the Moon landing, and the Beatles, Baby Boomers embraced pop culture, including hula hoops, Frisbees, and “the Mickey Mouse Club.”
Generation X
Shaped by the explosion of affordable technology, the fourth generation of the 20th century was Generation X (1965-79).
Generation X grew up with Sesame Street and Star Wars. As they reached adulthood, they faced the AIDS epidemic, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the explosion of personal computers.
The Next Generation
The fifth generation of the 20th century, The Next Generation was the first to grow up with the Internet. This generation houses the innovators, inventors, and leaders of the future.
The Next Generation, also called the Net Generation or the Millennials, grew up with cell phones, Beanie Babies, and a passion for reduce/re-use/recycle. With ever-advancing technology at their fingertips, the future rests in their hands.
Your Place in Time
Check out some of the amazing — and curious — inventions and everyday technologies that shaped past generations. You'll see them first-hand when you journey through the Your Place in Time exhibit in Henry Ford Museum.
Cassette Player
Before digital music, recordings were often on cassette tapes, which were more portable than vinyl records.
Personal Computer
Many people believed computers would never be small enough or cheap enough that anyone could own one.
