The exhibit was planned to look at historical information and to explore the causes of the Pacific War, including the development of the atomic bomb, the decision to use it, and its aftermath in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and in global history (Laird, 1998). The exhibit, entitled “The Last Act,” was to originally open at the half-century anniversary of the catastrophic war event. The original conception for the exhibition of the Enola Gay was a $600,000 exhibit that was to put “the atomic bombings in Japan in a broad historical context” (Mayr, 1998). This project, costing millions of dollars and about 400,000 man-hours, is the largest restoration project ever undertaken by the NASM. In 1984 the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) began efforts to preserve and restore the aircraft. Army Air Forces in 1949 the plane spent much of its time in storage at multiple military bases.
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Since donated to the Smithsonian by the U.S. Tibbets, Jr., in command of the Enola Gay, led the crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. This bomber also dropped the first nuclear weapons ever used in combat in the Pacific Theatre on August 6, 1945. The Superfortress represents dramatic advancements in armament and aviation. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was an advanced bomber that flew during World War II. After I saw how it was presented, I went on a search for its exhibition history. I had read something about the Enola Gay a few years back, but during a six hours Dulles airport layover, I wanted to go see for myself the current exhibition of the Enola Gay. The Enola Gay, currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazey Center, is involved in an ongoing public and private debate, sparking a wave of opinion since its original exhibition in 1995. The Boeing B-29-45-MO Superfortress, more commonly known as the Enola Gay, is an example of an object that is open to multiple interpretations and therefore involved in heated controversy. Often, a single artifact will carry with it the burden of interpreting historical events and mediating between all parties potentially involved in its history. Open every day except December 25 from 10:00-5:30įor more information: ASM Udvar-Hazy CenterĪrtifacts have an ability to authoritatively speak for themselves in an exhibit.
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Enola Gay Exhibit Smithsonian Air & Space Museum's Steven F.