Instruments of American Excellence

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A new museum exhibit in Kentucky showcases ordinary items used to achieve the extraordinary.

There is equipment used by Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard, a film splicer from documentarian Ken Burns' editing room and the hammer used by President Jimmy Carter for Habitat for Humanity projects.

The collection features more than 140 pieces spanning entertainment, politics, sports and science.

The collection opens Sept. 21 at the Kentucky Museum on Western Kentucky University's campus in Bowling Green.

The exhibit is the brainchild of Dan Murph, a songwriter who lives in Bowling Green.

Murph says he hopes the collection inspires visitors to pursue their own dreams.

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Online:

WKU Instruments of American Excellence: http://www.wku.edu/iae/