Planet Word

First stop on our spring tour of Washington DC was Planet Word, a private museum that opened in 2020 in a renovated public school on Franklin Square in the District of Columbia. Ann B. Friedman (wife of Thomas Friedman) had just retired from teaching first grade reading when the idea of Planet Word struck her. Reading about the Museum of Mathematics in New York City, she learned how it uses hands-on activities to make math fun. If there’s a museum for math, she thought, why not a museum for words?

Just like the museum for math celebrates math, words in their endlessly evolving variety should be celebrated, too. Whether signed, spoken, written, or sung, language connects us and shapes our most significant moments. Our words and language reflect who we are, how we interact with others, and how we interpret our world.

There should be a place to explore the power, fun, and beauty of words, she decided. And, since such a place didn’t yet exist, she set out to bring her vision to life.

Planet Word was born. Long may it live!

As soon as I saw the Jaume Plensa construction of letters from many languages, I knew this was my kind of place! Known for my puns, I have a daily addiction to Spelling Bee and Wordle. Then I saw how much fun my daughter and granddaughter were having guessing phrases and acting out descriptions.

One room of Planet Word challenged me to choose a famous speech and re-enact it. I read the words of John Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, and was sent a short video of the results. It showed me my defiencies, but it sure helped me remember these powerful words:

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility–I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

The gift shop yielded items you may find in your mailbox someday.