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Explore America: California

Explore America and discover people, places, art, and history that connect to California in the Smithsonian’s collections, held in trust for the American people. The collections include items that reflect the state’s distant past (a hunk of algae older than the dinosaurs) and its vibrant present. California’s natural treasures are as expansive as the “Golden State” itself: It is home to mountains, deserts, redwood forests, and about a thousand miles of Pacific coastline. View images of the Golden Gate Bridge, deemed one of the modern wonders of the world, and a gold nugget and Torah mantle from the 1849 gold rush. Explore the stories of notable Californians—from Hollywood icons to influential changemakers such as activist Cesar Chavez, chef and food pioneer Alice Waters, and tech visionary Steve Jobs.


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Included:

  • Remove Date: 1980s close

Steve Jobs

Death Valley, California

Ronald Reagan

I Dreamed I Could Fly

Mouseketeer hat worn by Lonnie Burr

Black Flag, Los Angeles, CA, 1980

Apple Macintosh 512K Microcomputer

Brooklyn and Soto, from the East Los Angeles Urban Portrait Portfolio

Carrie Fisher

Mt. Wilson, California

Pool, from the Los Angeles Documentary Project

Official site map from the 1984 Los Angeles Games

Pallido California Extra Virgin Olive Oil Poster

1980 All Star Game, Los Angeles Dodgers

Rhyme Pays

Ronald Reagan

Monterey Jazz Festival Button

[Untitled Garden in Beverly Hills, California]: front garden entry with wooden gates.

Jacket and pants worn by MC Hammer in music video for "They Put Me in the Mix"

Coronado Beach, California

International Tower, Long Beach, California, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project

Long Beach Pike (Octopus)

System Development Corporation, Santa Monica, California, from the Los Angeles Documentary Project

L. A. Freeway, from the Los Angeles Documentary Project

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