Franklin exhibit feels the Force of snub

Published on Friday 20 May 2005 12:52

A FAMOUS museum in the United States has provoked the ire of historians after turning down a Benjamin Franklin exhibition to show one on Star Wars instead.

Boston's Museum of Science passed on the chance to showcase a travelling exhibit celebrating the 300th anniversary of the birth of Franklin, one of America's founding fathers, who was born and grew up in the area before moving to Philadelphia at age 17.

The museum says it can't accommodate the 3.2 million 3000-square-foot tribute to the Founding Father because it is opening a large Star Wars exhibit instead this summer.

The museum is hosting the world premiere of "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination," which explores the real science behind the fiction in George Lucas' blockbuster movies, including Luke Skywalker's antigravity landspeeder and his trusty robot R2-D2.

Museum spokeswoman Carole McFall said: "Star Wars really ties into the museum's new vision of incorporating more technology and engineering. There is real-world technology in the exhibit."

Robert Allison, who chairs the history department at Suffolk University, near Boston, said: "It's too bad that Boston won't have this exhibit. I don't think there's any Bostonian who has had the impact on the country or the world than Franklin did."