Travel

FBI Artifacts, The Berlin Wall, Unabomber Cabin And More – The Newseum Has It All

An open air balcony on the top floor of the Newseum offers a spectacular view of the U.S. Capitol. The flags of the Canadian embassy hang from the building next door. (Mughda Gurram/YJI)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With exhibits that included a piece of the Berlin Wall and others that focused on 9/11 and years of Pulitzer Prize-winning photos, it’s tough to make it through a fraction of the displays at the Newseum, a museum of news.

The Pulitzer Prize Gallery featured a multitude of award winners dating back to 1942 and in the center is a wall covered with small version of the photographs, categorized by date.

The Unabomber’s cabin is part of the FBI exhibit at the Newseum. (Mugdha Gurram/YJI)

The surrounding walls are covered with enlarged photos with descriptions of what is shown and the circumstances of how the
photographer captured the image.

These images varied from heartwarming to heartbreaking. The photographs spoke for themselves, but for some – such as the
picture of a starving Sudanese child and a vulture taken by the late Kevin Carter – the descriptions made them even more meaningful.
One of my personal favorites at the Newseum was the FBI exhibit featuring federal criminal cases of bombers and serial killers.

A Ku Klux Klan robe and hood is part of the FBI display at the Newseum. (Mughda Gurram/YJI)

The display included the handcuffs used to arrest Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind the 1993 World Center bombing, and a carefully preserved Ku Klux Klan costume.

They even had the cabin the infamous Unabomber used to live in.
The FBI exhibit is quite chilling. As a huge fan of crime mysteries, thought, I was fascinated by it. Any fellow Criminal Minds fans probably would be, too. On the other hand, to see the various objects that belong to such gruesome parts of history – well, it was a mix of emotions.

The top level of the Newseum included an open-air balcony that offered a beautiful view of the Capitol – and a great spot for a selfie.

Mugdha Gurram is a Reporter for Youth Journalism International.

Items that help document the arrest of the 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef are part of the FBI exhibit at the Newseum. (Mughda Gurram/YJI)

 


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