Minnesota’s Greatest Generation

Every generation faces the world as it was given to them, and strives to leave it safer for the next. For those who came of age in mid-20th century America, the challenges were particularly daunting. After a childhood overshadowed by the Great Depression, world war rushed these young men and women into adulthood. This generation's endurance and ingenuity brought not only wartime victory but unprecedented prosperity in the post-war years. In recognition of their courage and in gratitude for their efforts, many have called them the "Greatest Generation."

On May 23, 2009, Memorial Day weekend, the Minnesota Historical Society will open a 6,000 square-foot exhibit titled "Minnesota's Greatest Generation: The Depression, The War, The Boom." Featuring hands-on and multimedia experiences, the exhibition will follow this pivotal generation through their entire lives, allowing visitors the extraordinary opportunity to experience a vast sweep of American history from the 1920s to the present day. The exhibition will allow this generation to tell their own stories and weave together the personal and shared history of an era.